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CARE  AND  TRAINING 

OF  TROTTERS  AND 

PACERS 


VOLUME  I  OF 
THE    HORSEMAN   LIBRARY 


Third  Edition. 


PREPARED  BY 
ARTHUR  C.  THOMAS 
AND  WM.  H.  SHIELDS 
FROxM  INFORMATION 
FURNISHED  BY  THE 
LEADING  TRAINERS 
AND  DRIVERS  OF  THE 
DAY      ::::::: 


PRICE  $1.00,  CLOTH,  POSTPAID. 


PUBLISHED  AND  COPYRIGHTED  1915  BY 
CHICAGO  HORSEMAN  NEWSPAPER  CO. 
538  SO.  DEARBORN  STREET.,  CHICAGO,  ILL. 

I)\.\II:L  J.    CAMI'Ar.    Presidfut    and   TroasniiT. 


7 
6 


First  Edition  of  This  Issue  (112  pages) March,  1914 

(Title:     "Care  and  Training  of  Trotters.") 
Copyrighted   1914 

Second  Edition  of  This  Issue  (160  pages) January,  1915 

(Title:     "Care  and  Training  of  Trotters  and  Pacers.") 
Copyrighted  1915 

Third  Edition  of  This  Issue  (176  pages) March,  1915 

Copyrighted  1915 


Introduction  to  First  Edition. 

There  has  been  a  great  demand  in  recent  years  for  an 
authoritative  treatise  on  the  "Care  and  Training  of  Trot- 
ters." The  only  books  on  the  subject  are  out  of  date. 
We   have   endeavored   to   fill  this   demand. 

This  book  does  not  represent  the  ideas  of  one  man,  as 
in  past  treatises,  nor  of  a  few  men.  but  of  many.  Prac- 
tically all  the  leading  authorities  have  kindly  collaborated 
with  four  members  of  the  editorial  staff  of  "The  Horse- 
man," during  a  period  of  about  six  months,  in  the  prep- 
aration   of    this    work. 

The  authorities  listed  herein  have  assisted  either  by 
letter,  personal  interview,  or  in  an  editorial  capacity,  to 
the  contents  of  this  book.  We  desire  to  extend  our  thanks 
to  all.  Quotations  have  been  made,  in  a  few  instances, 
from  the  works  of  Charles  Marvin  and  John  Bradburn,  but 
credit   is    given    each    case. 

THE    PUBLISHERS. 

March    1.    1914. 

Introduction  to  Second  Edition. 

When  we  printed  the  tir.^t  edition  of  this  V)ook  in  March, 
1914,  we  did  not  anticipate  that  it  would  be  necessary  to 
publish  a  second  edition  so  soon.  We  take  this  means 
of  thanking  our  many  friends  who  have  assisted  in  the 
sale    of    the    work. 

The  title  of  the  book  has  been  lengthened  by  the  addi- 
tion of  the  words  "and  pacers."  This  was  done  because 
we  were  in  receipt  of  letters  inquiring  if  the  work  treated 
of  pacers  as  well  as  of  trotters.  We  have  received  a  num- 
bers of  letters  asking  who  wrote  the  book.  The  book  w'as 
not  written  in  the  usual  acceptance  of  the  term,  but  was 
compiled.  That  is,  it  does  not  contain  the  views  of  one 
person,  but  incorporates  the  ideas  of  many  prominent 
horsemen.  The  arranging  was  done  by  Arthur  Caton 
Thomas,  editor  of  "The  Horseman,"  assisted  by  Wm.  H. 
Shields,  associate  editor  of  the  same  journal.  Through 
courtesy  the  names  of  two  other  members  of  our  editorial 
staff  were  included  in  the  first  edition,  but,  inasmuch  as 
their  part  in  its  production  was  nominal  and  as 
they  are  no  longer  connected  with  us,  their  names  have 
been    dropped    in    this    edition. 

Progress    of    events    has    made    it    necessary    to   reclassify 


some    of   the    contributors   and    collaborators,    but    no   addi- 
tions  or   omissions    have   been    made. 

The  matter  following  page  119  is  new,  except  the  first 
appendix.  The  story  and  photo  of  Peter  Volo  as  a  three- 
year-old  are  also  new. 

A  few  changes  in  old  matter  have  been  made,  but  they 
are  too  slight  to  note  except  the  paragraphs  on  "shoeing 
of  1911,  1912  and  1913  Colts."  These  have  been  lifted  from 
chapter  6  and  entirely  rewritten  for  new  chapter  7,  with 
additional    information    concerning    1914    colts. 

CHICAGO    HORSEMAN    NEWSPAPER    CO. 

Chicago,   111..   Jan.   1,   1915. 


Introduction  to  Third  Edition. 

The  second  edition  of  this  book  was  exhausted  even 
more  quickly  than  the  first  and  a  third  edition  is  now 
required    within    a    year    of    publication. 

Not  only  is  "Care  and  Training  of  Trotters  and  Pacers" 
the  first  book  on  the  subject  in  over  20  years  but  it  is 
the  most  popular  book  on  the  trotting  horse  ever  pub- 
lished. Previous  works"  in  its  field  belong  to  the  high 
wheel  sulky  era  and  are  as  much  out  of  date  as  that  style 
of  vehicle. 

The  changes  in  and  additions  to  the  third  edition  may 
be   briefly   specified   as   follows: 

The  chapter  on  "Shoeing  Colts,"  which  followed  Chapter 
III  in  the  first  two  editions,  now  follows  Chaptei-  V  (old 
Chapter  VI).  To  this  chapter  on  "Shoeing  Colts"  has 
been  added  "Appendix  No.  2"  of  the  second  edition.  This 
change  centralizes  the  important  subject  of  shoeing  in 
four  successive  chapters. 

A  new  chapter  has  been  added  on  "Feeding."  To  this 
chapter  is  added  the  remarks  on  "Chronic  Indigestion" 
which  appeared  as  "Appendix  No.  1"  in  the  first  two  edi- 
tions, and  the  remarks  on  "Feeding  Colts"  which  appeared 
in    the   chapter   of    "Miscellany"    in    the    second   edition. 

A  new  chapter  has  been  added  on  "Grooming  the  Horse 
on   Race  Day." 

We  would  be  glad  to  have  suggestions  from  tlie  readers 
of  this  work  on  improving  it  should  a  fourth  edition  be 
necessary. 

CHICAGO  HORSEMAN  NEWSPAPER  CO. 

Chicago,   111.,   March  19,   1915. 


Frank  E.  Alley 
Warren  Bacon 
Dr.  W.  A.  Barber 
Kev.  Tbos.  Harden 
L.  E.  Brown 
Asa  Danforth 
John  L.  Dodge 
Frank  G.  Jones 


CONTRIBUTORS    AND    COLLABORATORS 

(Arranged   Alphabetically.) 
EDITOR:    Arthur   Caton   Thomas. 
ASSISTANT    EDITOR:    William   H.    Shields. 
OWNERS. 
S.  J.  Fleming 
J.    Y.    Gatcoiiili 
James  M.  Hazleton 
L.  C.  Kinney 
C.  W.  Lasell 
Oeorjre  B.  I.eavitt 
John  E.  Madden 
Dr.  J.  C.  McCoy 


Walter  Palmer 
Ed.  L.  Peckham 
A.  C.  Pennock 
0.  H.  Sholes 
W.  II.  Smollinger 
W.    L.   Spears 
Amos  Whiteley 
Paul  C.    Wilson 


STOCK    FARM    SUPERINTENDENTS. 


Harry  Burgoyne 
John  Dagler 
John  H.  Dickerson 

Ed.  Allen 
Oscar  Ames 
W.  J.  Andrews 
Ed.  Benyon 
Jas.  Benyon 
Ed.  Bither 
Geo.  Bowerman 
Mike  Bowerman 
James  Carpenter 
J.  B.  Chandler 
Zach  Chandler 
Harold  Childs 
Walter  R.  Cox 
Dick  Curtis 
Wick  Curry 
Crit  Davis 
Charley  Dean 
Chas.  De  Ryder 
Billy  Dunham 
Will  G.  Durfee 
Fred  Egan 
John  Fleming 
Will  Fleming 
W.  0.  Foote 
Ed.  F.  Geers 
J.  O.  Gerrity 
Geo.   T.   Haag 
W.  H.  Harrison 


Dr.  A.  S.  Alexander 
Dr.  W.  E.  Coover 


Budd  Doble 
Joe  Heather 
Jos.  M.  McGraw 


A.  B.  Scott 
Ben  White 
John  Young 


TRAINERS   AND   DRIVERS. 


Geo.  B.  Hayes 
H.  H.  Helman 
James  Hogan 
H.  H.  James 
Fred  Jamison 
H.  M.  Jones 
Chet  Kelly 
Ben  Kenney 
Ned  McCarr 
W.  H.  McCarthy 
Scott  McCoy 
Dan  McEwen 
Mike  McDevitt 
Joe  McLaughlin 
Alonzo  McDonald 
Dick  McMahon 
John  McQuaig 
Guss  Macey 
Reamey  Macey 
Roy  Miller 
Hunter  C.  Moody 
Thomas  W.  Murphy 
Tom  Nolan 
Vance  Nuckols 
Rupert  Parker 
Robt.  Proctor 
Harry  Putnam 
Nat  Ray 

VETERINARIANS. 
Dr.    R.    R.   Dykstra 
Dr.  S.  R.  Howard 


Joe  Rea 
Ben  Rennick 
A.  S.  Rodney 
John  Ruppert 
Millard  Sanders 
Geo.  W.  Saunders 
Jos.  L.  Serrill 
Bert  Shank 
Bi  Shively 
W.  W.  Shuitt 
Ray  Snedeker 
Wm.  L.  Snow- 
John  Splan 
George  Starr 
Harry  C.  Stinson 
Charles  Tanner 
J.  L.  Tarlton 
A.  L.  Thomas 
Henry  H.  Thomas 
Douglas  Thomas 
Henry  Titer 
Charley  Valentine 
Al  Whitney 
Dick  Wilson 
Henry  Williams 
Matt  Williams 
Ed.  Willis 


Dr.  L.  M.  Oldham 
Dr.  Jack  Selter 


CAIfE   AM)  TRAINING    OF    TROTTERS   AND    TACERS. 


Table  of  Contents. 

Chapter  I.— The  Suckling  Colt 7 

First  milk — treatment  for  diarrhea — in  pasture — feeding:  pad- 
doeli — mannering    the    colt. 

Chapter  II. — The  Weanling  Colt 19 

Feeding — halter  breaking — leading  beside  ponj' — booting — bit- 
ting— ground  breaking — hitching  to  cart — shoeing. 

Chapter  III. — Making  Speed   With  Yearlings 3] 

Pulling — how  Airdale,  1,  2:15%.  was  trained — Peter  Volo,  1, 
2:1!)— Hester  C,  1.  2:21  V^— Wilbur  Lou.  1.  2:19%— Miss 
Stokes— Adbell,  2:23— Norlaine,  2:311/2— Hinda  Rose,  2i30%— 
Edna   the  Great.   2:29i4— Palo   Alto  system. 

Chapter    IV. — Preparing   for   Two-Year-Old    Futurities 56 

How  Murphy  trained  Peter  Volo.  2.  2:041/2.  and  Native  Belle. 
2,  2:07%— Arion,  2,  2:10%— Justice  Brooke.  2.  2:09i/o.  and  his 
diary— Axtell,   2.  2:23. 

Chapter    V.— Three-Year-Olds 74 

Working  between  races — training  of  Peter  Volo.  2:03i/2 — Colo- 
rado E.,  2:04%— General  Watts.  2:06%— Fantasy.  2:0S%  — 
Sunol.    2 :0Si/i— Axtell.    2:12. 

Chapter    VI. — Shoeing    Colts 95 

First  trip  to  blacksmith — dressing  hind  feet — hard  frog  un- 
natural— change?  in  gait — natural  dressed   foot. 

Chapter  VII, — Shoeing  of  101  Famous  Colts 114 

Comparison  of  shoes  us^mI  on  the  Tamous  colt  trotters  and 
pacers   of   1911.    1912.    19  3   and    1914. 

Chapter  VIII. — Six  Principal   D-f ects  in   Gait 124 

Chapter   IX. — Types    of    Shoes 138 

The    princiial    styles    of    shoes    illustrated. 

Chapter   X, — Feeding 143 

Chapter  XI. — Grooming  a  Hoise  on  Race  Day 153 

Chapter     XII.— Miscellany 162 

Trainer   at   a.  veterinary   college — Walter   Cox   on   warming   up 
for  a  race — how  yearlings  are  trained  at  Allen  Farm — what  we 
did    on    the    farm    during    October — how     to    stop     pulling — public 
trainers — masturliatinn. 


THE     SrCKLINO     COLT. 


Chapter  I— The  SuckHng  Colt. 

HE  mare  about  to  foal  should  be 
placed  in  a  warm  box  stall, 
especially  if  the  colt  comes 
early  and  in  a  cold  climate. 
The  colt  might  contract  pneu- 
monia from  the  shock  to  its 
delicate  constitution  by  ex- 
posure   to    cold    air. 

The  first  attention  to  the  colt  should  be  to  the 
umbilical  cord  (navel  string).  There  are  two 
methods  of  treatment,  each  has  its  adherents. 
The  older  horsemen,  and  some  younger  ones,  pre- 
fer to  tie  up  the  cord  about  a  half  inch  from  the 
body,  and  then  cut  it  off,  just  below  where  it  has 
been  tied.  The  younger  horsemen  and  many  vet- 
erinarians advise  against  the  tying  up  of  the  um- 
bilical cord,  since  it  has  been  found  in  some  cases 
to  imprison  the  germs  of  navel  disease  which  had 
gained  entrance  to  the  navel  before  being  disin- 
fected. James  Hazelton  of  Boice  Stock  Farm, 
Frankfort,  Ind.,  who  has  raised  hundreds  of  colts 
successfully,  is  one  we  recall  who  does  not  tie 
up  the  umbilical  cord. 

As  soon  as  possible  after  the  colt  is  born 
squeeze  out  the  gelatinous  contents  of  the  umbil- 
ical cord,  tie  it  up  if  you  will,  but  in  any  event 
paint  it  with  an  antiseptic  solution,  or,  better  still, 
dip  it  into  such  a  solution.     Dr.  A.  S.  Alexander 


s  lAUK   AM)  TKAIMXG   OF   TllOTTEKS   AND   I'ACEllS. 

prefers  an  antiseptic  solution  containing  2  drahms 
of  powdered  corrosive  sublimate  to  a  pint  of 
boiling  water,  to  which  when  cold  has  been  added,  3 
drahms  of  tincture  or  solution  of  chloride  of  iron 
(Label  bottle  'Toison'').  Use  this  solution  twice  a 
day  until  the  cord  drops  off.  Dr.  W.  A.  Barber 
of  Springfield,  O.,  uses  "a  solution  of  9  parts  of 
carbolic  acid,  dissolved  in  i  part  of  alcohol,  with 
25  parts  of  camphor  added,  giving  a  clear  oily  so- 
lution that  may  be  applied  without  fear  of  cauter- 
izing and  many  times  more  efficacious,  I  think, 
than  corrosive  sublimate.'' 

A  different  method  of  accomplishing  the  same 
end  is  advised  by  the  Percheron  Society  of  Amer- 
ica in  its  pamphlet,  'Tacts  About  Percherons," 
and  excellent  results  are  reported  by  those  breed- 
ers who  have  tried  it.  This  method  of  treatment 
was  recommended  to  the  Percheron  society  by 
Dr.  R.  R,  Dykstra.  Tincture  of  iodine  is  first  ap- 
plied to  the  cord  and  the  area  immediately  sur- 
rounding it.  After  this  apply  a  drying  powder 
every  half-hour  for  a  period  of  three  or  four 
hours,  or  until  the  cord  is  thoroughly  dried  up. 
This  drying  powder  is  composed  of  equal  parts  of 
powdered  gum  camphor,  starch  and  alum. 

After  the  navel  is  attended  to  the  next  thing  on 
the  program  is  to  inject  some  warm  water  into  the 
colt's  rectum  so  as  to  start  the  bowels  working  reg- 
ularly. Some  men  use  an  injection  of  one  ounce  of 
sweet  oil  in  a  quart  of  warm  water.     Others  use 


THE    SUCKLING    COLT.  fl 

castile  soap  suds  in  warm  water,  but  this  is  not 
widely  recommended  as  the  soap  is  thought  to  be 
too  irritating.  Users  of  the  soap  suds  injection 
claim  it  is  not  irritating,  especially  if  glycerine 
is  added.  Olive  oil  makes  a  satisfactory  in- 
jection. In  extreme  cases  give  an  ounce  of  castor 
oil.  A  horseman  writes :  "For  enemas  would  sug- 
gest the  use  of  a  few  tablespoonfuls  of  liquid 
soap  instead  of  castile  soap-suds.  It  is  non- 
irritating,  and  being  of  an  oily  nature  serves  a 
double  purpose.  Great  care  should  be  exercised 
in  giving  injections.  Serious  harm  may  result  from 
roughness  as  the  tissues  that  vou  are  working  upon 
are  in  a  very  delicate  condition  at  this  time. 
Gentleness  should  be  observed  in  all  things  per- 
taining to  the  handling  of  a  youngster.  He  is  bet- 
ter off  without  your  medicine  if  you  have  to  use 
force  in  administering  it.  Nature  will  do  a  lot  for 
the  colt  if  you  let  it  alone  in  almost  every  case." 

Dr.  S.  R.  Howard  says:  "The  best  rectal  in- 
jections, in  m\'  opinion,  are:  emulsion  of  slippery 
elm  bark  or  warm  cow's  milk.  Xo  harm  can  be 
done  by  any  amount  used,  as  they  are  natural  in 
their  action." 

First  Milk  Important. 

Soon  after  the  colt  arrives  it  will,  if  strong  and 
healthy,  struggle  to  its  feet  (more  or  less  clumsily 
at  first,  of  course),  and  suck.  If  it  is  too  weak 
to  rise  it  should  be  assisted,  for  the  first  nour- 
ishment will  strengthen  the  cglt  at  a  time  wh^n 


K)  CARE   AND  TRAIXIXO    OF    TROTTERS   AND    TACERS. 

strength  is  absolutely  necessary.  The  first  milk 
also  contains  a  natural  laxative  which  is  beneficial 
to  the  colt.  If  the  colt  is  weak  and  will  not  suck 
even  when  assisted,  the  mare  should  be  milked  and 
the  first  milk,  while  still  warm,  given  the  colt  from 
a  bottle  with  nipple.  If  the  colt  will  not  suck  nipple 
use  a  dessert  spcon  and  pour  the  warm  milk  down 
its  throat.  Do  not  be  in  too  great  a  hurry  to  get 
the  colt  up  to  suck.  Any  time  within  the  first  hour 
will  do. 

\^'e  will  say  nothing  of  the  care  of  the  mare 
after  foaling  (such  as  the  removal  and  sanitary 
destruction  of  the  after-birth)  for  we  are  dealing 
only  with  the  colt. 

As  soon  as  possible  after  foaling,  which  we  will 
assume  takes  place  indoors,  the  stall  should  be 
thoroughly  disinfected,  the  bedding  should  be 
burned,  the  floor  sprinkled  with  lime,  and  fresh 
bedding  laid  down.  For  several  weeks  the  bedding 
should  be  changed  often.  Cleanliness  will  usually 
prevent  navel  disease.  In  Kentucky  and  farther 
South  most  colts  are  foaled  out  doors.  Harry 
Burgoyne  of  Walnut  Hall  Farm,  Donerail,  Ky., 
and  Ed.  Willis  of  Patchen  Wilkes  Farm,  Lexing- 
ton, Ky.,  prefer  to  have  the  colts  foaled  out  doors, 
if  the  w^eather  is  not  too  cold. 

Treatment  for  Diarrhea. 

When  the  colt  is  from  seven  to  ten  days  old  it 
may  be  troubled  with  diarrhea,  due  to  the  mare 
coming  in  heat  or  for  other  causes,  in  which  event 


THE    SUCKLING    COLT.  11 

keep  both  mare  and  colt  in  a  quiet  place.  Milk 
the  mare  dry  and  doctor  the  colt. 

John  Bradburn  strongly  advised  giving  colts 
troubled  with  diarrhea  a  blackberry  cordial,  full 
directions  for  the  making  of  which  are  described  in 
his  book  ''Breeding  and  Developing  the  Trotter." 

A  horseman  writes :  "John  Bradburn's  black- 
berry cordial  has  not  proved  sufficient  in  my  ex- 
perience, especially  in  obstinate  cases.  I  have  se- 
cured the  best  results  from  paregoric  and  aro- 
matic syrup  of  rhubarb,  equal  parts." 

A  favorite  prescription  of  A.  L.  Thomas,  and 
one  with  which  he  once  saved  the  life  of  Alta  Ax- 
worthy, 3,  2:10^2,  when  she  was  suffering  from  a 
severe  case  of  diarrhea,  is:  Take  colt  out  of  sun 
(if  turned  out)  and  give  it  the  yolk  of  an  egg  to 
which  has  been  added  lo  to  20  drops  of  tincture 
of  opium.  Three  or  four  doses  a  day  should  be 
given  until  relief  is  obtained.  Another  prescrip- 
tion is  an  egg  in  a  pint  of  milk  given  three  times 
a  day  until  cured.  Another  good  prescription  is  a 
teaspoonful  of  lime  water  in  several  of  milk,  given 
every  three  hours.  At  the  Allen  Farm,  Pittsfield, 
]\rass.,  the  remedy  for  diarrhea  is  limewater. 

Roy  Miller  writes :  ''As  to  diarrhea  in  colts, 
let  me  give  }-ou  a  sug'2:e5tion  which  I  received 
from  Major  Daingerfield,  to  whom  every  breeder 
in  this  world  has  to  'take  off  his  hat.'  He  told  me 
that  his  colts  were  never  bothered  with  diarrhea. 
to    speak    of,    and    especially     soon    after    foal- 


12    CAKE  AM)  TKAIMNG  OF  THOTTEUS  AND  PACERS. 

ing,  as  he  made  it  a  point  to  put  the  mare 
on  a  diet  that  tended  to  make  milk  about 
four  months  before  foaHng  time.  About  two 
to  three  weeks  before  foalingr  time,  he  fed 
the  mare  the  same  amount  of  feed  she  would 
receive  after  foaling,  and  never  increased  the  feed 
of  the  mare  for  several  weeks  after  she  had 
foaled.  He  claimed  that,  in  doing  this,  the  blood 
of  the  foal  was  of  the  same  richness  as  the  blood 
of  the  mare.  He  claimed  that,  in  nearly  all  cases, 
diarrhea  came  from  increasing  the  feed  of  the 
mare  too  soon  after  her  colt  was  foaled. 

Care  must  be  taken  to  keep  the  colt's  navel 
clean,  so  as  to  prevent  "navel  disease,"  but  if 
trouble  develops  call  a  veterinarian  at  once  and  in- 
sist on  a  serum  treatment.  If  no  veterinarian  is 
accessible  (and  in  that  emergency  only)  insert  into 
the  navel,  with  a  bulb-syringe  catheter,  any  good 
antispetic  solution.  For  instance  a  one-quarter 
ounce  of  creolin  to  two  ounces  of  boiled  water. 
Insert  the  catheter  as  far  as  an  opening  can  be 
made  without  forcing.  The  injection  should  be 
continued  from  time  to  time  till  the  navel  is  healed 
and  closed.  The  symptoms  of  navel  trouble 
are:  Colt  acts  dull,  there  is  a  leakage  froim 
navel ;  colt  is  stiff  in  knees,  hocks,  or  hips, 
with  sometimes  a  formation  of  pus  around  knees, 
hocks  or  abdomen.  Some  people  advise  lancing  to 
relieve  the  swelling,  others  prefer  letting  Nature 
remove  the  foreign  matter. 


THE    SUCKLING    COLT.  13 

We  will  State  here  that  it  is  not  the  intention  to 
make  this  in  any  sense  a  veterinary  treatise.  Where 
thought  best,  simple  home  treatment  for  common 
ailments  will  be  made  mention  of  in  simple  terms. 
In  most  cases  a  veterinarian  should  be  called. 

In  Pasture. 

As  soon  as  the  colt  is  strong  enough  and  when 
weather  is  good,  mare  and  colt  should  be  turned 
into  a  paddock  an  hour  or  two,  morning  and  after- 
noon. The  length  of  time  the  colt  is  turned  out 
should  be  gradually  increased  each  day  until  finally 
colt  is  out  all  day  if  weather  permits,  but  taken  in 
at  night.  When  warm  weather  comes  (it  is  as- 
sumed we  have  a  spring  foal),  the  mare  and  colt 
should  be  turned  out  in  pasture.  If  large  pas- 
tures are  used  too  many  mares  should  not  be 
turned  out  together.  No  matter  how  large  or  small 
the  pasture,  turn  the  mares  and  colts  into  the  pas- 
ture at  intervals  until  the  desired  number  are  in 
but  never  turn  out  the  whole  drove  together,  as 
the  mares  may  run  about  and  kick  each  other,  and 
injure  either  themselves  or  the  colts.  In  the  South 
mares  stay  in  pasture  practically  the  year  around. 
Large  open  sheds  are  built  for  them,  with  southern 
exposure,  for  such  occasional  protection  from 
weather  as  they  will  need. 

The  system  of  feeding  brood  mares  with  suck- 
ling foals,  and  young  horses,  at  Palo  Alto  Farm 
was  somewhat  different   from  that  usually  prac- 


14  CAKK    AND   TKAIXIXCi    OF    TKOTTEKS   AND    PACERS. 

ticed.  They  ran  to  grass,  were  fed  hay,  and 
night  and  morning  were  fed  steamed  or  cooked 
food — sometimes  oats  and  sometimes  barley ; 
they  were  also  fed  carrots.  Long  before  the  colt 
was  weaned  it  learned  to  poach  on  its  mother's 
meal,  and  when  at  four  months  of  age  it  was 
weaned,  it  was  fed  the  same  as  a  yearling  or  two- 
year-old. 

If  the  mare  comes  in  season  at  thirty  days,  the 
colt  may  again  be  troubled  with  diarrhea.  By  this 
time  the  colt  will  ordinarily  be  strong  enough  to 
go  through  such  trouble  without  ill  effects.  If  the 
diarrhea  continues,  however,  take  the  mare  from 
pasture  and  keep  her  in  a  cool,  quiet  place,  take  her 
off  of  grain  feed  entirely,  and  feed  her  hay  or 
grass  for  from  five  to  eight  days  till  colt's  condi- 
tion is  normal. 

When  the  colt  is  two  months  old  its  feet  may 
be  leveled  for  the  first  time  with  a  rasp :  do  not 
use  pinchers.  The  feet  should  be  leveled  once  a 
month,  otherwise  the  wall  of  the  foot  will  grow 
down  and  break  off  unevenly.  Some  claim  it  is  not 
necessary  to  trim  the  feet  till  weaning  time.  This 
subject  is  treated  in  detail  in  chapter  4  by  Dr. 
Jack  Seiter. 

If  the  mare  does  not  thrive  on  pasture  at  first, 
she  should  be  taken  up  each  morning  and  fed  some 
crushed  oats  and  bran  equally  mixed,  say  four 
quarts  each  morning.  She  may  also  be  given  green 
corn,   sorghum,   or  alfalfa.     She   should   stay   in- 


TiiK  siTKLixc  cor/r 


doors  until  the  middle  of  the  afternoon,  when  she 
should  be  fed  again,  omitting  the  green  feed,  and 
turned  back  into  pasture. 

Feeding  Paddock. 

About  the  middle  of  summer  colts  will  require 
additional  nourishment.  Feeding  paddocks  should 
be  built  in  the  pastures,  as  illustrated,  which  will 


-      .:  .J!P/     k^ 

w%-  ^«  fr^^^fiSrr^  i  ■„,„ ^"^  1 

jj^P 

JL 

M^^     "•Mill    11 

^^HBb    ^T-  ^  ^Mf . 

allow  only  the  colts  access  to  the  troughs.  On 
most  farms  the  troughs  are  placed  about  2^/2  feet 
from  the  ground.  It  is  well  to  line  them  with  zinc 
so  that  the  attendant  can  keep  them  clean.  Some 
have  troughs  onl\-  four  inches  from  the  ground. 
These  low  troughs  are  not  widely  used  because 
colts  are  liable  to  jump  over  them  and  knock  their 


10         CARt  AND  TRAINING   OF   TROTTERS  AND   PACEltlS. 

ankles  and  skin  their  legs.  ]\ lusty  food  should 
not  be  allowed  to  accumulate  and  troughs  should 
be  cleaned  out  after  each  meal.  Colts  may  be  fed 
once  a  day,  or  twice,  according  to  judgment,  de- 
pending on  amount  of  extra  nourishment  neces- 
sary. Feed  as  much  as  colts  will  eat  up  clean. 
Some  horsemen  use  a  thoroughly  mixed  feed  in 
proportions  of  two  bushels  of  oats,  one  of  wheat, 
one-half  of  cracked  corn,  fifty  pounds  of  bran  and 
twenty  pounds  of  oil  meal  (not  oil  cake  but  ground 
flaxseed  meal).  Colts,  as  well  as  mares,  should 
be  salted  once  or  twice  a  week,  or  leave  rock  salt 
where  it  can  be  licked  as  desired. 

Every  stock  farm  owner  should  know  the  per- 
centage of  limestone  in  his  soil.  Fast  trotters 
never  came  from  lime-deficient  regions.  Horses 
raised  in  such  localities  are  apt  to  be  week-boned, 
therefore  unsound.  If  your  soil  is  deficient  in  lime 
take  a  piece  of  fresh-burned  lime  the  size  of  a 
hen's  egg  and  drop  it  into  the  water  troughs  once  or 
twice  a  week.  Speaking  of  water  troughs  they 
should  be  cleaned  out  regularly. 

"As  the  twig  is  bent  the  tree  inclines,"  so  par- 
ticular attention  should  be  given  to  a  colt  in  the 
first  few  months  of  its  life.  As  John  Splan  once 
wrote :  "Anyone  who  can  not  control  his  temper 
should  never  be  allowed  to  have  anything  to  do 
with  a  colt.  *  *  *  You  should  begin  to  impress 
the  colt  from  its  earliest  life  tliat  man  is  his  friend, 
and  the  foundation  of  his  education  is  laid." 


THK    SUCKLIX(;    COLT.  17 

Mannering  the  Colt. 
IManv  good  horsemen  put  an  easy-fitting  halter 
on  the  colt  when  it  is  ten  days  old,  which  makes 
the  colt  easier  to  manage  in  the  stall.  On  several 
large  farms,  such  as  Allen  Farm,  Pittsfield,  Mass., 
and  White  River  Stock  Farm,  Muncie  Ind., 
colts  are  thoroughly  halter  broken  at  this 
time.  The  halter  should  be  taken  off  when  th<f 
colt  is  turned  out  for  the  summer.  The  colt's 
feet  should  be  picked  up  and  handled  from  time  to 
time.  Amos  Whiteley  of  White  River  Stock 
Farm,  says :  *'We  commence  mannering  the  colts 
almost  as  soon  as  they  are  foaled,  and  soon  accus- 
tom them  to  being  handled.  Our  colts  are  haltered 
when  they  are  two  or  three  weeks  old.  We  use 
an  ordinary  halter,  and  get  a  piece  of  half-inch 
hemp  rope,  about  two  and  a  half  feet  long,  thor- 
oughly wrapped  at  one  end,  or  near  the  end,  and 
with  a  snap  hook  attached  to  the  other  end,  and 
snap  the  rope  into  the  halter,  letting  the  colt  carry 
or  drag  it  so  as  to  become  accustomed  to  carrying 
something,  and  in  a  way,  to  be  guided  by  it.  Our 
brood  mares  are  all  nicely  mannered  and  compan- 
ionable ;  in  fact,  when  I  go  into  the  brood  mare 
pasture,  the  mares  always  expect  some  sugar,  car- 
rots, apples,  or  something  that  they  like,  and  while 
they  are  enjoying  their  little  treat,  the  colts  are 
becoming  accustomed  to  being  handled,  and  soon 
begin  to  look  for  something  for  themselves.  By 
treating   the   colts   in   this   way,   they   are   almost 


IS  CARE   AND  TKAIXIXO    OF    TROTTERS   AND    PACERS. 

broken  before  they  are  weaned,  and  in  many  cases 
our  colts  wean  themselves,  or  substantially  so,  as 
they  are  put  on  ground  feed,  oats  with  a  small 
portion  of  rye  and  bran.  We  try  to  have  them 
learn  to  eat  good  before  they  are  weaned."' 

The  main  things  to  observe  in  the  care  of  suck- 
lino-  colts  are  common-sense  and  kind  treatment. 
Nature  should  be  allowed  to  do  as  much  of  the 
work  as  possible. 


Kative     Belle,     2  07  34     (in     1909),     World's    Champion     Two-year-old 
Trotting    Filly. 


JUK    W  KAN  LING    COLT. 


19 


Chapter  Z — The  Weanhng  Colt. 


HEX  fall  comes,  the  suckling  colt 
should  be  weaned.  Some  brood 
mare  handlers  take  the  colt 
away  from  the  dam  and  milk 
the  mare  dry  each  day.  This 
is  done  on  the  Savage  Farm 
and  McKennan  farm.  Others 
to  suck  twice  a  day  for  sev- 
once  a  day  for  a  while,  till 
up  of  her  own  accord.  One 
'The  first  method 


allow  the  colt 
eral  days,  then 
the  mare  dries 
prominent  colt  handler  says : 
is  the  right  one  and  best  when  you  have  experi- 
enced help  or  can  look  after  mare  and  colt  your- 
self, otherwise  the  second  method  should  be  used." 
Another  says :  "Don't  tantalize  the  colt  by  keep- 
ing its  -mother  around  while  weaning — it  is  like 
cutting  off  a  dog's  tail  a  little  at  a  time." 

A  horseman  writes:  'T  wean  my  colts  by  tak- 
mg  them  oft*  the  mares  at  once  and  taking  the 
mares  far  enough  away  so  that  they  will  not  hear 
each  other.  Of  late  years  I  have  been  weaning 
by  the  signs  of  the  Zodiac.  This  may  sound  a  lit- 
tle ancient,  at  least  to  some  people,  but  it  does  not 
cost  anything,  and  I  have  found  that  my  mares 
and  colts  both  do  a  great  deal  better.  Before  I 
tried  this  I  had  more  or  less  trouble  with  mares' 
bags  caking  and  colts  worrying  a  good  deal  for 


20         CARE  AND  TRAINING  OF   TROTTERS  AND   PACERS. 

a  short  time,  but  under  this  system  I  have  had  no 
trouble  either  way." 

Joseph  McGraw  writes:  "We  wean  a  colt  by 
taking  it  away  from  dam  and  milk  mare  for  four 
days,  twice  a  day,  then  once  a  day  till  dried  up. 
I  use  equal  parts  spirits  of  camphor,  tincture  of 
belladonna  and  lard   (no  salt)   on  mare's  bag." 

The  colt  should  be  placed  in  a  box  stall  and 
haltered.  Use  a  good,  strong  five-ring  leather 
halter,  one  that  fits  right  and  is  not  too  tight  nor 
too  loose.  One  horseman  then  proceeds  to  break 
the  colt  to  stand  tied.  His  advice  is :  "Take  a  ^- 
inch  rope,  make  a  small  noose  in  one  end,  pass  the 
rope  around  the  colt's  girth,  slip  the  plain  end 
through  the  noose,  and  draw  the  rope  tight  around 
the  girth,  pass  the  loose  end  of  the  rope  between 
the  colts'  legs  and  up  through  the  halter  ring.  Tie 
end  of  rope  to  a  ring  in  the  stall  and  leave  colt 
stand  for  an  hour  or  so  each  day.  This  will 
break  the  colt  to  stand  hitched,  which  is  an  im- 
portant part  of  its  education."  Other  horsemen 
do  not  tie  colts  in  the  stall  until  after  they  are  thor- 
oughly halter  broken. 

Joe  Heather  of  Hopper  Farm  writes:  'T  put 
a  good  fitting  halter  on  the  colts  the  first  thing. 
I  attach  a  lead  and  just  let  it  drag.  The  next 
thing  is  to  get  a  good  quiet  man  that  likes  colts 
and  put  him  in  with  them,  brushing  them  and 
fussing  w^ith  them.  I  find  that  when  a  colt  has 
run  loose  in  the  stall  a  few  davs  with  the  halter 


THE    WEANLING    COLT.  21 

lead  dragging-  it  is  no  trouble  at  all  for  it  to  learn 
to  lead.  I  like  this  way  better  than  putting  ropes 
around  their  girths  and  hind  quarters,  and  such 
things  as  that,  as  I  have  known  a  good  many  cases 
where  colts  were  injured  more  or  less.'" 

Feeding. 

After  weaning,  the  colt  should  be  well  fed. 
Oats  is  the  usual  food,  together  with  timothy  or 
prairie  hay.  Bran  may  be  mixed  equally  with  the 
oats,  although  this  will  not  be  necessary  if  clover 
or  alfalfa  are  available.  Some  authorities  con- 
sider oats  too  hard  for  young  colts  to  masticate 
and  give  ground  feed  and  clover  hay. 

Roy  Miller  writes:  "I  take  it  we  are  all  trying 
to  raise  colts,  fit  in  constitution,  size  and  endur- 
ance, to  start  in  the  futurities ;  therefore  the  feed- 
ing of  the  little  fellow,  just  at  this  age,  is  a  very 
important  consideration  indeed.  I  note  you  men- 
tion oats  and  timothy  hay.  I  suggest  two  quarts 
rolled  oats,  one  quart  bran,  one  pint  cracked 
screened  corn,  and  a  handful  of  rolled  barley,  to  a 
feed,  three  times  a  day,  with  all  the  straight  clover 
hay  that  a  colt  will  eat,  twice  daily.  If  a  breeder  is 
forced  to  eliminate  any  of  the  bill  of  fare  I  have 
mentioned,  I  suggest  he  leave  out  anything  he  sees 
fit  except  the  clover  hay." 

One  horseman  writes:  "As  to  feeding  them,  I 
give  them  clover  hay,  with  a  small  allowance  of 
corn,  and  all  the  good  oats  they  will  clean  up.     I 


22  CARE   AXI>  TRAINING    OF    TROTTERS   AND    PACERS. 

also  like  sowed  cane,  which  I  think  makes  an  ex- 
cellent feed  for  young  colts  in  winter." 

J.  L.  Dodge  writes :  "Regarding  feeding,  I  be- 
lieve that  too  much  is  worse  than  too  little.  You 
seldom  see  a  sick  hungry  man.  If  your  colt  doesn't 
thrive  and  you  increase  his  feed  and  he  improves 
you  know  the  reason.  If  he  gets  sick  and  you  in- 
crease his  feed  and  he  gets  w'orse,  what  do  you 
do?  Over-feeding  causes  nearly  all  the  sickness. 
One  big  strong  colt  eats  no  more  than  some  runts. 
It's  what  they  digest,  not  what  they  eat,  that  does 
them  good.  Too  much  rich  food  makes  too  much 
expensive  manure  and  heavy  doctor  bills.  Feed  the 
colts  all  the  good  oats  and  timothy  they  will  eat 
up  clean,  and  see  that  they  get  exercise  enough  to 
warrant  such  feeding.  Reduce  the  feed  when  sick 
or  not  exercising.  Don't  feed  rich  food  at  any 
time.  During  the  time  of  strenuous  work,  feed 
crushed  oats,  but  don't  practice  this.  Fletcheriz- 
ing  w^ould  leave  us  no  stomachs  at  all  in  a  few 
generations  and  concentrated  foods  do  only  for 
emergencies." 

Ben  White  writes:  "I  think  the  most  important 
thing  of  all  is  the  feeding  of  the  weanling,  and  no 
man  could  improve  on  what  Roy  Miller  says  in 
regard  to  feeding  youngsters.  I  like  a  few  car- 
rots three  times  a  week  to  feed  to  colts.  They  will 
drive  worms  from  a  colt  and  keep  their  bowels  in 
good  shape." 


THE    WEANLING    COLT.  23 

The  attendants  should  handle  the  colts  carefully 
so  as  to  inspire  confidence  and  friendship.  The 
colt  should  be  groomed  daily  in  order  to  improve 
its  coat  and  to  break  it  to  the  use  of  the  currycomb 
and  brush. 

Halter-Breaking. 

After  the  colt  has  become  accustomed  to  a  stall, 
the  next  thing  is  to  halter-break  it.  The  horse- 
man who  advised  tying  the  colt  in  stall,  with  a 
rope  around  girth,  makes  this  suggestion :  "The 
first  day  the  colt  is  weaned  and  after  it  has  stood 
in  the  stall  for  awhile,  the  rope  should  be  taken 
oft  and  a  plain  leather  strap  substituted.  Bring 
the  dam  out.  Let  the  colt  go  up  to  her,  then 
have  an  assistant  lead  the  mare  away.  Then  lead 
the  colt  after  her,  until  the  colt  gets  used  to  being 
led  about.  Then  take  the  mare  away,  without  let- 
ting the  colt  see  you  do  so,  and  continue  the  les- 
son in  leading." 

Dr.  \V.  A.  Barber  writes:  "My  idea  as  to  the 
best  time  to  halter-break  a  colt  is  the  next  day 
after  it  is  foaled.  Slip  a  good  fiting  halter  on  the 
colt  and  handle  it  at  every  opportunity.  If  you 
have  a  boy  that  loves  a  horse  he  will  soon  have 
the  colt  broken  to  halter  as  well  as  to  lead  at  will. 
From  that  time  the  colt  will  grow  up  to  know 
what  restraint  is." 

Ned  AlcCarr,  colt  man  at  the  Savage  Farm, 
writes :  "We  halter-break  a  colt  by  putting  a 
piece   of   three-eighths-inch    bell    cord    around   it, 


24         CARE  AM)    TKAINIXG   OF   TKOTTEIiS   AND   PACERS. 

the  same  as  a  breeching,  and  then  a  short  piece  to 
run  over  the  back,  directly  over  the  flanks,  con- 
necting both  sides,  to  keep  it  from  falling  down 
over  the  heels ;  then  the  two  long  pieces  are  run 
through  the  halter  ring.  The  colt  breaker  takes 
the  halter  shank  in  one  hand,  and  the  two  ends  of 
the  cord  in  the  other,  then  gently  pulls  on  the 
halter  shank  and  gives  the  cord  a  sharp  jerk.  The 
colt  will  generally  make  a  jump  forward,  and  in 
some  cases  attempt  to  kick,  but  it  takes,  as  a  rule, 
only  one  lesson  for  the  colt  to  grasp  the  idea  that 
with  a  pull  of  the  halter  shank  it  will  also  re- 
ceive a  jerk  on  the  cord,  so  that  after  a  few  les- 
sons it  will  obey  and  lead  on  the  first  pull  of  the 
shank."  Frank  E.  Alley  of  Roseburg,  Ore.,  uses 
this  same  method  to  break  his  colts  to  halter  ex- 
cept he  is  careful  to  give  "an  equal  pull  on  the 
halter  rope  and  the  rope  which  goes  around  the 
colt.  Give  a  steady  pull  and  the  colt  will  always 
step  forward  to  get  away  from  the  pressure  be- 
hind." 

'T  have  always  considered  that  I  knew  some- 
thing about  breaking  colts,  but  my  superintend- 
ent, Mr.  McDonald,  showed  me  a  new  wrinkle  in 
bitting  a  colt,  which  is  the  finest  thing  I  have  ever 
seen.  He  uses  the  ordinary  bitting  rig,  consist- 
ing of  a  surcingle,  back  band  (with  a  ring  on 
either  side),  crupper  attachment,  plain,  open 
bridle  without  check,  and  a  soft  leather  bit  with  a 
leather  guard  at  either  side  of  the  rnouth.     Th^ 


THE  wr:ANr-ixci  colt.  25 

colt  is  led  out  into  the  yard  or  paddock  and  a 
short  strap  attached  to  the  bit  on  one  side  and  tied 
through  one  ring  on  the  back  band,  tight  enough 
to  draw  the  colt's  head  around  to  one  side.  The 
colt  is  then  turned  loose  and  allowed  to  wander 
where  it  will.  As  the  head  is  turned  to  one  side, 
the  colt  will  continue  to  go  in  a  circle  and  cannot 
run.  After  a  few  minutes  the  strap  is  changed 
to  the  other  side,  and  in  a  very  few  lessons  the 
colt  is  perfectly  bridle-wise.  An  important  advan- 
tage of  this  method  is  that  you  can  go  up  to  the 
colt  at  any  time,  for  it  is  impossible  for  the  colt 
to  get  away  from  you,  and  the  colt  will  learn 
the  purpose  of  the  bit  without  inflicting  any  dam- 
age whatever."  This  method  of  breaking  is  cer- 
tainly a  success  with  ]\Ir.  Alley,  for  he  furnishes 
us  a  picture  of  four  weanlings  in  motion,  hitched 
four-in-hand  to  a  light  cart,  and  all  well-behaved. 

Leading  Beside   Pony. 

You  will  now  have  to  decide  whether  you  are 
going  to  break  your  colt  to  lead  beside  a  pony,  or 
not.  Authorities  are  at  variance  on  the  subject. 
One  man  will  say  it  "makes  speed,"  another  "it  is 
harmful,"  w^hile  still  another  will  take  the  middle 
ground  and  say  "it  does  not  make  speed,  it  is  not 
harmful,  and  it  will  add  to  a  colt's  value  if  it 
passes  through  a  sale  ring,  or  if  you  wish  to  show 
it  to  advantage  to  a  possible  purchaser."  Even 
among  those  who  break  their  colts  to  lead  beside 


2r.  CARE   AND  TRATXINC    OF    TROTTERS   AND    PACERS. 

a  pony,  there  is  some  difference  of  opinion  as  to 
when  this  should  be  done.  One  prominent  colt 
man  advises  breaking  the  colt  in  this  manner  with- 
in a  day  or  two  after  weaning.  He  says  the 
advantage  of  breaking  beside  a  pony  the  next 
day  after  weaning  is :  the  colt  will  be  lonesome  and 
will  follow  the  pony  naturally.  Start  the  lesson  in 
a  yard  with  an  assistant  to  go  behind  the  colt  till 
it  is  used  to  leading.  The  leading  should  be  done 
every  day  till  the  colt  is  well  broken.  If  the  colt 
handler  is  not  an  expert  in  leading  colts  beside  a 
pony,  give  only  a  few  lessons  in  this  direction,  as 
the  colts  will  get  to  side  pulling  and  will  learn 
other  vices.  If  the  handler  is  expert  in  this  direc- 
tion, the  colt's  leading  may  be  increased,  with  an 
occasional  brush  at  nearly  the  limit  of  its  speed, 
but  do  not  overdo  it.  Let  the  colt  have  his  head 
and  trot  as  naturally  as  possible. 

O.  H.  Sholes  is  one  who  does  not  believe  in 
breaking  a  colt  to  lead  beside  a  pony.  He  says: 
''It  is  time  thrown  away.  It  is  eft'ort  in  the  wrong 
direction.  We  drive  horses  in  races,  we  do  not 
lead  them.  It  does  not  add  to  their  value,  but 
diminishes  their  worth.  It  costs  money  to  make 
speed  beside  a  pony  and  you  have  to  do  it  all  over 
again  when  the  time  comes  for  driving.  I  don't 
think  a  colt  should  be  taught  to  follow." 

Roy  Miller  writes :  'T  am  not  in  favor  of  lead- 
ing colts,  never  was,  and  I  don't  believe  I  ever  will 
be ;  however,  a  great  many  of  our  very  best  colt 


TUK    WKANLIXr;    rOLT.  27 

trainers  are  advocates  of  this  method,  and  as  you 
say,  if  carefully  done,  and  within  reason,  by  some 
one  that  understands  his  business,  good  results  can 
be  expected." 

Booting. 

Xow  comes  the  disputed  question  of  when  to 
boot  a  colt.  One  colt  man  writes:  "Before  being 
led  at  any  speed  the  colt  should  be  fitted  with  a 
few  boots  for  protection  against  injury.  Put  on 
shin  boots  in  front  and  behind,  quarter  boots  in 
front  and  scalpers  behind.  If  the  colt  has  not 
been  shod,  then  in  place  of  scalpers  use  a  small 
rubber  bell-boot  behind.  In  booting  remember 
that  an  ounce  of  prevention  is  worth  a  pound  of 
cure.  If  the  little  fellow  once  hits  himself  he  is 
apt  to  lose  confidence.  It  is  better  to  put  on  too 
many  boots  than  too  few.  When  the  colt  is  turned 
in  paddock,  put  on  front  shin  and  quarter  boots." 

Another  man  writes :  ''Don't  get  too  anxious 
to  put  on  boots.  \\'hen  a  colt  gets  sick  because  it 
has  scalped  a  little,  then  it  is  time  to  inject  a  little 
new  blood  into  your  great  stable.  When  you  see 
marks  on  your  colt's  feet,  call  them  to  the  atten- 
tion of  your  blacksmith,  or  write  the  shoeing 
editor  of  The  Horseman.  The  chances  are  the 
angle  of  the  foot  is  wrong." 

Xed  ]\IcCarr  says:  'T  never  put  boots  on  colts 
or  shoe  them  until  they  are  perfectly  broken  and 
ready  to  be  trained  for  speed.  This  idea  of  boot- 
ing and  shoeing  a  colt,  that  is  not  perfectly  broken, 


^S    CAKE  AND  TRAININC;  OF  TKOTTEKS  AND  PACERS. 

is,  to  my  mind,  a  bad  one,  as  they  cannot  hurt 
themselves  if  they  are  not  shod,  and  the  boots  are 
a  decided  hindrance  to  freedom  of  action,  and 
are  apt  to  give  a  wrong  idea  as  to  how  the  colt  is 
gaited.  I  prefer  to  train  them  in  the  afternoon, 
turning  them  out  in  the  morning  and  then  handling 
them  after  they  are  brought  in.  In  this  way  they 
are  not  apt  to  be  so  frisky  and  consequently  be- 
have far  better,  and  there  is  less  danger  of  their 
being  injured." 

While  the  colt  is  receiving  its  lesson  (which 
is  usually  in  the  morning),  have  its  stall  cleaned 
and  bedded  and  a  little  hay  thrown  in  for  it  to 
nibble  at  on  its  return.  Let  the  colt  stay  in  the 
stall  about  an  hour,  or  until  it  is  entirely  cooled 
ofif,  and  then  turn  it  out  in  a  paddock  for  a  few 
hours. 

The  colt's  feet  will  need  attention.  One  horse- 
man's advice  is :  ''Keep  hoofs  rasped  to  proper 
angle  and  level  once  a  month." 

Some  authorities  insist  the  colt's  feet  should 
be  cleaned  with  a  foot  pick  every  morning,  others 
object  to  using  a  pick,  but  agree  that  the  feet 
should  be  handled.  The  preponderance  of  opin- 
ion is  with  the  former  method.  Nature  requires 
a  certain  amount  of  moisture  in  the  foot,  and  if 
colts  stand  on  dry  ground,  some  horsemen  advise 
packing  the  feet,  at  least  three  times  a  week,  with 
some  kind  of  hoof  dressing.  Some  use  clay,  while 
others  object  to  it,  because  it  draws  out  the  nat- 


THE    WEANLINO    COLT.  29 

ural  oils.  One  horseman  says:  "Cut  out  the  oil 
meal  packing,  as  it  was  discarded  with  the  149i 
methods.  I  prefer  clay."  A  packing  recommended 
by  a  well-known  horseman  is  old-process  oil 
meal  and  water  mixed  to  the  consistency  of  bread 
dough,  with  any  good  indisfectant  added  to  pre- 
vent souring.  This  packing  supplies  moisture  and 
oil  and  prevents  thrush.  Other  horsemen  object 
strenuously  to  packing  of  any  kind  on  colts.  One 
horseman  writes:  "Don't  pack  the  colts'  feet.  If 
you  can't  think  of  anything  else  to  do,  sit  down 
and  smoke.  If  you  don't  smoke,  play  with  the 
dog"  Another  horseman  writes:  "Outside  of 
the  feet  being  kept  properly  trimmed  and  kept 
clean,  we  do  not  use  any  packing  or  hoof  dressing 
until  after  they  are  shod.  Nature  provides  for 
this  and  a  foot  will  keep  in  a  good,  healthy  and 
soft  condition,  without  any  artificial  methods,  until 
the  hoof  is  shod.  Then  it  is  time  to  provide  the 
necessary  moisture,  that  the  shoeing  takes  away." 

Bitting. 

A  prominent  colt  man  writes:  "I  bit  all  my 
colts  with  a  halter,  using  a  double  snap,  with  one 
snap  in  the  halter  ring  and  the  other  in  the  bit. 
This  can  be  used  for  half  an  hour  in  the  morning 
and  evening.  After  the  colt  has  become  used  to 
the  bit,  then  by  all  means  use  a  bitting  harness, 
first  for  twenty  minutes  to  half  an  hour  morning 
and  evening,  and.  after  a  few  days  a  little  longer, 


30  CAKP]   AND  TK.MNINCJ    OF    TKOTTERS   AND    PACERS. 

and  it  isn't  a  bad  idea  to  turn  a  colt  out  in  a  pad- 
dock for  a  half  an  hour  with  it  on." 

Joseph  L.  Serrill  writes:  "I  think  looking  after 
the  colt's  teeth  a  very  important  thing.  If  a  colt 
fights  the  bit  much,  look  at  his  mouth,  and  you  will 
probably  find  a  sharp  tooth  has  cut  his  cheek, 
which  is  very  sore." 

Ground  Breaking. 

The  colt  is  now  ready  to  be  ground-broken,  that 
is,  broken  to  harness.  Get  a  harness  that  will  fit  it 
properly  and  put  it  on  carefully  and  slowly.  Let 
the  colt  stand  in  the  stable  with  the  harness  on  a 
short  time  each  day  till  accustomed  to  it.  Then 
the  colt  should  be  driven  in  the  barn.  Have  two 
men  at  first,  one  to  lead  the  colt,  the  other  to  hold 
the  reins.  One  horseman  objects  to  the  preceding 
sentence.  "Don't  have  two  men  to  handle  a  poor 
little  colt.  A  fifteen-year-old  boy  can  give  a  colt 
its  first  lessons,  or  one  man  can,  if  he  is  fearless 
and  not  too  heavy  in  the  arms  and  doesn't  make  a 
sled  of  his  feet."  Teach  the  purpose  of  reins,  that 
is,  to  turn  in  either  direction,  or  to  back.  It  is  im- 
portant to  teach  the  colt  the  command  "whoa." 
and  to  stand  still,  especially  when  tied  to  a  hitch- 
ing post.  Be  careful  in  harnessing  not  to  check 
your  colt  too  high.  Many  colts  are  unbalanced 
by  checking  too  high. 

Ned  McCarr  describes  his  method  of  ground- 
breaking: "After  our  colts  are  broken  to  lead,  a 
harness  is  applied.     Care  is  taken  to  see  that  it 


THE    WKAXLIN(;    COLT.  31 

fits  snug,  especially  the  bit,  which  is  a  leather  cov- 
ered one.  One  attendant  leads  the  colt  and  an- 
other takes  up  the  lines  and  drives  it.  We  do  not 
have  to  repeat  this  performance  very  oftrn,  as 
the  colts  can  be  driven  alone,  after  a  few  lays, 
depending  naturally  on  the  headway  made." 

Joe  Heather  writes  :  "After  colts  are  thorough- 
ly gentle  I  slip  a  harness  on  them,  using  a  com- 
mon slip-noose  halter,  with  a  long  lead,  and  com- 
mence to  break  them  to  drive,  using  the  halter  to 
control  them.  This  avoids  bruising  and  hurting 
their  mouths  which  are  very  tender  at  this  time. 
I  do  not  need  any  attendant  to  help  me  drive  them 
the  first  time  or  two  as  some  others  have  suggest- 
ed, as  they  don't  work  together  all  the  time,  mak- 
ing more  or  less  confusion  with  the  colts,  irritat- 
ing them  unnecessarily  and  so  on.  I  have  never 
tried  to  drive  a  colt  under  this  plan  that  withm 
thirty  minutes  I  could  not  drive  him  almost  any- 
where I  wanted  to  go.  Of  course  this  depends  on 
his  having  been  properly  handled  by  the  man  at  the 
barn.  After  he  is  well  ground-broken  and  thor- 
oughly bridle-wise,  there  are  very  few  that  will 
give  any  trouble  when  hitched  to  a  light  cart." 

One  colt  man  writes:  "I  hitch  my  colts  to  the 
lightest  kind  of  a  low-wheel  rubber-tire  cart. 
With  an  attendant  to  lead  them  a  short  distance, 
and  the  driver  up,  they  are  started  off,  and,  as  a 
rule,  they  go  on  and  pay  no  attention  to  the  rig 
at  all." 


32         CAKE   AND  TKAIMXCi   Ol'   TUOTTEUS   AND    I'ACEKS. 

Before  hitching"  the  colt  to  cart,  some  horsemen 
run  two  light  poles  through  the  shaft  holders  and 
let  the  colt  become  used  to  feeling  them  along  his 
sides.  If  this  is  done,  they  claim  it  is  not  neces- 
sary to  hitch  the  colt  to  a  heavy  breaking  cart. 
This  advice  is  objected  to  by  one  colt  man,  who 
says :  ''Don't  run  poles  through  the  shaft  holders. 
Don't  play  dog  with  the  colt."  Another  expert 
writes :  "Cut  out  the  poles,  as  we  are,  at  this  day 
and  date,  breaking  intelligent  horses,  and  the 
broncho  methods  don't  go.  Any  colt  that  is  prop- 
erly ground-broken,  and  has  been  driven  for  three 
weeks,  at  the  age  of  a  weanling,  will  be  ready  to 
hitch  to  the  lightest  bike  cart  that  is  made."  ]\lany 
good  colt  breakers  object  to  the  use  of  a  very 
heavy  cart,  preferring  a  lighter  one  from  which 
the  driver  can  descend  quickly  and  easily.  On  the 
other  hand,  one  man  says:  "Don't  think  about  a 
cart  you  can  get  out  of  quickly,  but  one  you  can 
stay  in  easily.  If  you  are  a  coward  and  too  good 
to  die,  give  up  breaking  colts.  They  know  when 
you  are  afraid  and  will  show  you  a  fast  time." 
Charles  Marvin,  in  his  book,  w^rote  against  the  use 
of  carts,  and  advised  a  skeleton  wagon,  but  later  in 
life  he  told  A.  L.  Thomas  he  had  changed  his  mind 
and  given  up  the  use  of  the  skeleton  wagon. 
Hitching  to  Cart. 
The  colt  is  now  ready  to  be  hitched  up  and 
driven.  Take  an  assistant  along,  as  his  help  will 
be  required  in  cases  of  accident,    An  objection  is 


THE    WEANLING    COLT.  33 

raised  to  this  by  a  horseman,  who  writes:  "Don't 
take  an  assistant  along.  It  is  no  time  for  visiting. 
If  you  are  afraid  of  the  colt,  let  your  wife  drive 
it  the  first  few  times."  Some  colt  breakers  prefer 
to  hitch  the  colt  alongside  an  older  and  well  broken 
horse  for  its  first  few  lessons,  but  this  method  is 
somewhat  antiquated  and  little  used.  Some  advise 
carrying  a  whip  from  the  first,  so  that  the  colt 
will  become  used  to  one,  but  do  not  be  in  too  great 
a  hurry  to  use  it.  An  objector  to  this  advice  says: 
"Don't  carry  a  whip  the  first  few  times.  The  colt 
doesn't  need  whipping.''  Be  careful  about  pulling 
on  the  lines  so  as  not  to  make  the  colt  a  "puller.' 
One  prominent  trainer,  in  the  early  lessons,  always 
uses  a  rope  halter  under  the  bridle,  with  the  rope 
extending  back  to  the  seat  of  the  cart  and  ahvays 
pulls  the  colt  to  a  stop  with  this,  and  even  guides 
to  certain  extent  with  it.  Another  trainer  says : 
"Don't  be  afraid  of  the  bridle  making  pullers.  It's 
the  driver  who  does  that." 

Do  not  break  a  colt  before  a  crowd  of  specta- 
tors. Do  not  lose  your  temper.  Do  not  pull  the 
colt  over  backwards. 

Dr.  J.  C.  McCoy  says :  "The  way  to  begin 
breaking  a  colt  is  to  ahvays  have  the  same  man 
harness  it  and  the  colt  won't  be  scared.  Let  the 
one  who  hitches  the  colt  drive  it  around  with  the 
harness  on  for  al:out  a  week  and  be  sure  not  to 
hurt  its  mouth.  After  the  week  is  up,  hitch  the 
colt  to  a  cart  and  walk  it  for  another  week.    Never 


:M  (.'AUK   AM)   TKAIM.NC;    OF    TUOTTKKS    AM)    I'ACERS. 

going  faster  than  a  walk,  if  possible.  When  this 
has  been  done,  the  colt  is  ready  for  anything,  and 
he  will  soon  show  whether  he  is  of  any  account 
or  not.  Above  everything,  in  breaking  the  colt, 
don't  use  any  check  for  about  a  month." 

With  the  exception  of  leading  beside  a  pony 
nothing  has  been  said  in  this  chapter  about  "mak- 
ing speed,"  as  that  will  be  treated  in  the  next 
installment. 

Shoeing. 

We  have  purposely  reserved  for  the  closing  par- 
agraphs of  this  chapter  the  subject  of  shoeing,  as 
authorities  differ  as  to  just  when  the  colt  should 
be  shod.  Some  have  gone  so  far  as  to  suggest 
light  front  shoes  on  colts  in  pasture  late  in  the 
summer,  but  this  is  a  theory  and  seldom,  if  ever, 
practiced.  Others  shoe  shortly  after  weaning,  or 
just  before  leading  beside  a  pony,  especially  when 
the  soil  is  sandy.  Others  do  not  shoe  until  the 
spring  of  a  colt's  yearling  form.  This  subject  is 
treated  exhaustively  in  chapter  4  by  Dr.  Seiter. 

The  natural  gaited  colts  will  need  only  light  shoes 
for  protection.  Double  gaited  colts  require  heavier 
shoes  at  first,  but  the  weight  should  be  gradually 
reduced,  if  possible. 

In  applying  weight  some  horsemen  object  to 
the  use  of  toe  weights,  unless  sure  a  colt  needs 
them,  and  prefer  heavy  shoes.  Toe  weights  have 
their  uses,  they  claim,  but  sometimes  get  a  colt  to 
hitting  his  elbows.    On  the  other  hand,  Roy  Miller 


THE    WEANLING   COLT 


writes:  "I  consider  toe  weights  one  of  the  most 
important  inventions  made  to  assist  trainers  in 
the  training  of  horses  of  all  ages,  and  especially 
colts.  It  is  safe  to  estimate,  I  should  think,  that 
fully  90  per  cent  of  the  progressive  trainers  of  to- 
day use  toe  weights.  A  heel  weight  (or  loaded 
heel  boot)  is  just  as  essential  for  some  colts,  and 
has  been  used  with  a  great  deal  of  success  here  at 
Lexington,  for  the  past  half-dozen  years."  We 
notice  that  on  two  of  his  colts  (General  French 
and  Princess  Xelda )  'Mv.  Miller  used  a  two  ounce 
toe  weight  on  the  left  foot  and  a  three  ounce 
weight  on  the  right  foot. 

In  cases  of  defective  gait,  a  colt  handler  must 
use  his  own  judgment  or  consult  an  experienced 
farrier.  It  is  just  as  necessary  to  have  the  advice 
of  an  experienced  farrier  in  cases  of  defective  gait, 
as  it  is  to  call  a  veterinarian  when  a  colt  is  sick. 
The  colt's  feet  should  be  trimmed  regularly. 

Finally,  remember,  in  the  words  of  Charles 
Marvin:  "There  is  nothing  more  senseless  and 
injurious  than  punishing  a  horse  or  a  colt  for  not 
doing  what  he  does  not  understand  you  want  him 
to  do." 


CAKE  AND  TKAIMNG  OF  TROTTERS  AND  PACERS. 


Chapter  3 — "Making  Speed"  with  Yearlings. 


RAINERS  are  not  agreed  on 
when  to  commence  with  a  coU 
to  "make  speed."  Some  train- 
ers do  considerable  speed  work 
in  the  fall,  right  after  breaking, 
but  the  majority  wait  till  the 
spring  of  a  colt's  yearling  form. 
In  these  articles  we  are  assuming  that  a  colt  is 
being  trained  for  the  futurities. 

In  the  last  chapter  our  colt  had  been  broken  to 
drive.  After  breaking  the  colt  should  be  jogged 
until  it  is  accustomed  to  all  strange  sights  and  ex- 
periences. This  jogging  does  not  call  for  any 
speed. 

But  sooner  or  later  the  time  comes  for  speed 
ivork,  or  "making  speed."  The  old  way  was  to 
drive  a  colt  for  a  certain  distance,  say  half  a  mile, 
at  a  slow  gait,  and  on  each  succeeding  occasion 
drive  him  a  little  faster.  This  system  is  still  in 
use  but  has  been  superseded  to  a  great  degree  by 
the  "brush"  system  as  introduced  by  Gov.  Leland 
Stanford  and  made  popular  by  the  success  of  the 
colts  trained  at  Palo  Alto  Farm  by  Charles  Mar- 
vin. Alarvin  is  often  credited  with  having  intro- 
duced the  brush  system  of  training  but  in  his 
book  he  tells  us  that  it  was  in  use  when  he  be- 
came connected  with  the  famous  California  estab- 
lishment. 


MAKING     SPEED     WITH     YEARLINGS.  37 

Before  proceeding  with  an  explanation  of  the 
brush  system,  the  opportunity  here  presents  itself 
to  mention   a    few   hints   about  the   hitching  and 
driving  of  a  colt  for  speed  work. 
Pulling. 

"Xo  foot,  no  horse"  is  an  old  and  true  axiom, 
but  ''no  mouth,  no  horse"  is  just  as  true.  Great 
care  should  be  exercised  not  to  spoil  a  colt's 
mouth.  Do  not  teach  a  colt  to  "pull,"  by  "taking 
too  strong  a  hold''  on  the  reins.  Drive  with  a 
light  hand.  Hold  the  reins  just  tight  enough  to 
"steady"  the  colt  in  his  gait  and  to  prevent  stum- 
bling or  swerving.  (It  will  be  understood  that 
these  remarks  refer  to  colts  just  being  broken. 
An  old-time  confirmed  puller  cannot  be  driven 
with  a  loose  line,  unless  one  is  lucky  enough  "to 
break  him"  of  the  habit. — Ed.)  If  you  take  too 
strong  a  hold  the  colt  will  "fight  the  bit,"  or  "lug." 
or  become  unbalanced  in  gait  or  acquire  a  bad 
temper. 

The  habit  of  pulling  is  sometimes  caused  by 
checking  the  colt  too  high.  ]\Iany  successful 
trainers  do  not  use  a  check  until  the  colt  has  had 
several  weeks  of  speed  work.  When  the  check  is 
put  on  let  it  hang  a  trifle  loose  at  first,  adjustment 
can  be  made  later  as  experience  demands.  If  the 
colt  starts  to  pull  when  you  jog  him,  bring  him 
to  a  walk.  Then  start  him  up  again  slowly.  Re- 
peat this  till  he  learns  to  jog  without  pulling. 

It  is  important  to  teach  the  colt  to  trot  at  uni- 


;5S    CAUE  AND  TKAIMXG  OF  TROTTERS  AND  I'ACERS. 

form  speed  on  a  lightly  held  line,  when  started  at 
a  certain  gait.  An  intelligent  colt  will  soon  learn 
this  habit. 

A  colt  should  be  taught  to  respond  to  the  voice, 
so  that  when  he  shows  an  inclination  to  "take  the 
bit  in  his  teeth,"  the  driver  can  "talk  him  back." 
As  a  colt's  speed  increases  a  firmer  grip  on  the 
reins  will  be  necessary  to  steady  him  in  his  gait, 
and  keep  him  in  his  stride — but  don't  pull. 

It  is  important  for  the  driver  to  learn  how  to 
"catch"  a  colt  when  it  makes  a  break.  Marvin 
wrote:  "My  plan  is  to  give  him  a  square  pull 
back,  and  swing  him  very  slightly  to  one  side,  giv- 
ing him  a  chance  to  catch  in  the  cross  stride." 
"Catching"  is  an  accomplishment  which  can  be 
acquired  only  by  practice,  certainly  not  through 
written  advice. 

Don't  lose  your  temper  when  a  colt  leaves  its 
feet,  don't  jerk  nor  snatch  nor  see-saw.  It  is  hardly 
necessary  to  advise  against  teaching  a  colt  to 
be  a  "handy  breaker.''  This  was  an  old  time  idea 
that  happily  has  been  practically  discarded. 

Do  not  allow  the  colt  to  learn  the  side-pulling 
habit,  which  may  be  caused  by  an  uneven  hold  on 
the  lines,  or  by  poor  teeth,  or  by  too  large  a  bit.  or 
by  speedy  cutting,  or  by  wrong  shoeing.  If  a  colt 
starts  to  hitch,  scalp,  or  forge,  correct  the  evil  be- 
fore you  go  on  w-ith  its  speed  lessons.  As  to  a  whip, 
don't  carry  one  unless  you  know  how  and  when  to 
use  it. 


MAKINc;     SPEED     WITH     YEARLINGS.  39 

With  these  preHminary  remarks  we  will  pro- 
ceed to  take  the  yearling  to  the  track  for  a  speed 
lesson  on  the  brush  system  ;  but  first  let  us  warn 
the  driver  not  to  start  in  speed  work  until  the  colt 
is  properly  hardened  and  "legged  up"  for  the 
coming  ordeal.  Inasmuch  as  Marvin  was  the  great 
exponent  of  this  system  we  wnll  quote  his  own 
w'ords : 

"Colts  need  practically  no  jogging,  yearlings  cer- 
tainly none  whatever.  Of  course  no  colt  or  horse 
should  be  worked  soon  after  a  meal.  You  will  find 
the  yearling  (although  a  trifle  nervous)  ready  to  work 
as  soon  as  you  get  him  on  the  track.  Start  him  up 
at  a  good,  fast  jog  for  about  150  to  20O  yards.  Then 
turn  slowly,  giving  him  time  to  get  his  breath,  and 
let  him  brush  back  a  little  faster.  After  going  about 
the  same  distance,  stop  again,  turning  slowly,  and 
send  him  back  again,  this  time  carrying  him  right  up 
to  his  clip  at  some  point  of  the  brush,  preferably  near 
the  end  of  it.  In  all  his  work,  especially  when  the 
brushes  are  sharp,  be  careful  to  let  him  get  his  wind 
at  each  turn,  and  after  this  sharp  brush  that  I  have 
just  described  give  him  a  little  longer  to  breathe  than 
you  did  before.  Now  straighten  him  out  and  brush 
him  up  the  stretch  again  about  the  same  distance, 
going  up  to  his  clip  about  the  last  of  it,  and  that  will 
be  enough  work  for  that  day. 

"Take  him  in  where  no  cold  draft  can  blow  on  him, 
and  take  off  the  harness  and  boots.  Give  him  a  swal- 
low or  two  of  water,  rub  him  off  lightly,  and  let  the 
boy  walk  him  a  little,  then  put  him  in  his  box  and 
leave  him  undisturbed,  so  that  he  can  lay  down,  as  a 
colt  youngster   will,   and   rest. 

"As  I  have  said,  young  colts  require  little  jogging 
and  no  sweating  or  scraping.  Young  animals  do  not 
take  on  fat  internally  like  matured  ones,  and  there  is 
in  fact  no  superfluous  flesh  in  this  rapidly  growing 
period.  The  colt  requires  not  to  be  reduced,  but 
rather  to  be  made  stouter  and  stronger.  Physicing, 
sweating  and  scraping  are  just  the  things  no  colt  can 


CARE  AND  TRAINING   OF   TROTTERS  AND   PACERS. 


take  and  thrive.  It  stops  his  growth  and  muscular 
development  to  strip  him  of  his  tiesh,  for  the  growing 
body,  the  maturing  muscle  and  bone,  need  that  nour- 
ishment which  is  only  afforded  in  a  condition  of 
marked  thriftiness.  Only  in  this  condition  will  the 
colt  be  in  good  fettle  and  spirit,  and  capable  of  taking 
his  work  with  relish  and  being  benefited  by  it.  It 
therefore  behooves  the  trainer  to  watch  constantly 
that  the  colt  does  not  go  back  in  condition,  for  this 
loss  of  condition  may  be  at  first  almost  impercept- 
ible. It  is  all  the  better  if  the  colt  carries  a  fair  de- 
gree of  flesh,  which  will  not  be  of  the  soft  kind  with 
the  work  here  prescribed.  Keep  him  in  good,  vig- 
orous condition,  so  that  he  will  perspire  freely  with 
work,  but  leave  heavy  blankets,  hoods,  sweating  and 
scraping  alone. 

"The  first  day's  training  in  harness  should  be  ad- 
hered to  without  any  increase  for  the  first  ten  days 
or  so.  From  four  to  six  brushes  will  be  sufficient  at 
first,  but  in  say,  two  weeks,  it  can  be  increased  a  lit- 
tle. Don't  increase  the  length  of  the  brushes,  but  the 
number  and  speed  of  them,  but  this  increase  must  be 
slow  and  gradual,  according  to  the  size  and  capacity 
of  the  colt,  and  the  relish  he  shows  for  the  work. 

"It  is  a  good  plan  to  let  the  colt  up  for  two  or  three 
days,  every  three  or  four  weeks,  for  a  run  out  and  a 
rest.  This  will  freshen  him  up,  and  these  breaks  in 
the  monotony  will,  if  he  is  not  overdone  or  harshly 
worked  be  an  effective  preventive  of  track  sickness 
and  staleness.  After  each  little  let  up  he  will  go  to 
work  again  with  more  keenness  and  vim.  Barring 
these  rests,  the  colt's  work  will  go  on  every  day — 
Sundays  excepted — presuming  that  he  has  been  kept 
well  and  right.  When  he  is  two  years  old  he  will 
take  more  work,  but  not  a  greatly  increased  distance. 
I  am  not  prepared  to  say  that  the  length  of  the  brush 
should  ever  be  increased  to  over  a  quarter  of  a  mile. 
We  are  now,  mark  you,  working  our  colt  for  speed. 
You  will,  no  doubt,  inquire  how  a  horse  can  trot  a 
race  without  being  worked  mile  heats.  You  cannot 
cut  much  of  a  figure  in  a  race  without  speed,  and, 
after  you  have  developed  speed  sufficient  to  go  a\vay 
from  home  with,  it  will  be  time  enough  to  condition 
him  to  carry  it.     You  must  have  the  speed  before  you 


MAKINc;     SPEED     WITH     YEARLINGS.  41 

can  win  races.  It  is  of  no  use  to  condition  your 
horse  to  go  mile  heats,  if  you  haven't  first  got  the 
speed  to  beat  somebody  else.  You  will  see,  then,  that 
the  Palo  Alto  system  proceeds  on  the  logic  of  the 
author  of  the  recipe  already  quoted  for  cooking  the 
hare:  First  catch  your  hare.  We  aim  to  first  de- 
velop the  speed,  and  after  that  to  condition  the  horse 
to  carry  it.  The  merit  of  this  system  of  training  in 
short,  sharp  brushes  lies  in  the  fact  that  it  is  the 
quickest  and  most  effective  way  of  at  once  toning  up 
and  hardening  the  muscles,  and  bringing  out  a  high 
rate  of  speed — of  teaching  the  colt  to  trot  fast." 

^Marvin's  book  was  published  in  1890.  We 
have  always  considered  it  unfortunate  that  he  did 
not  publish  a  revised  edition  before  his  death,  be- 
cause he  changed  a  number  of  his  methods  before 
his  death.  However,  he  never  discarded  the 
brush  system  explained  above. 

Marvin's  book  was  widely  read — especially 
by  owners,  who  tried  U  V^-Ss  along  their  absorbed 
knowledge  to  their  trainers,  with  sometimes  laugh- 
able results,  so  that  the  term  "]\Iarvin-book- 
trained-owners"  became  quite  common.  As  time 
flew  by  ^larvin's  book  and  other  contemporaneous 
works  became  out-of-date.  There  was  a  call  for 
a  modern  treatise  on  the  subject  of  training  trot- 
ters, which  we  are  endeavoring  to  fill  by  the  pub- 
lication of  this  book.  By  combining  the  ideas  of 
practically  all  of  the  various  authorities  on  the 
subject,  we  hope  to  escape  the  criticism  which 
has  been  heaped  on  past  efifort. 

Special  care  should  be  taken  at  this  period  of 
a  colt's  life  to  see  that  it  has  plenty  of  water. 


42  CAKE   AM)   THAIXINC;    OK    TUOTTEKS   AND    PACERS, 

Fix  a  hoop  in  the  corner  of  his  stall  so  that  the 
water  bucket  may  be  kept  at  all  times  in  reach 
of  the  colt.  Naturally,  you  will  not  allow  him 
to  drink  much  after  a  work-out  until  he  is 
cooled  off. 

While  it  is  not  wise  to  load  a  jolt  up  with 
boots,  he  should  have  enough  for  protection. 
You  will  doubtless  have  discovered,  during  the 
first  lessons  to  cart,  what  boots  he  will  need. 
Be  especially  careful  the  colt  doesn't  speedy-cut 
otherwise  he  will  get  to  going  "sideways"  and 
in  an  otherwise  bad-gaited  manner.  Do  not  put 
the  boots  on  too  tight,  but  as  snug  as  possible, 
without  interfering  with  circulation.  Of  course, 
ihe  boots  should  be  cleaned  each  time  after  they 
are  used. 

If,  in  breaking,  the  colt  has  not  been  taught 
to  stand  still,  while  being  hitched  or  unhitched, 
you  had  better  complete  that  neglected  part  of 
his  education  before  doing  much  speed  work. 
In  unhitching  be  sure  everything  is  loose  before 
backing  the  cart  away. 

Horsemen  disagree  about  when  to  start  ban- 
daging a  colt.  One  collaborator  writes:  "After 
speeding  or  jogging  a  colt  I  always  apply  leg 
wash,  then  wrap  the  legs  in  cotton  and  put  on  a 
set  of  bandages.  After  the  colt  is  thoroughly 
cooled  out,  the  l)andages  should  be  removed 
and  the  legs  brushed  out  and  given  a  good  hand 
rubbing  of  about  fifteen   minutes   to   each   leg. 


MAKi.N(;    sri;i:i)    with    vi:aui.i.\(;s.  43 

Brush  the  colt  off  and  then  put  him  away  in 
cotton.  Be  sure  and  pack  his  feet,  for  they  are 
growing  and  developing  and  need  plenty  of 
moisture.  The  bandages  should  be  changed 
again  in  the  evening  and  legs  given  a  good,  hard 
rubbing." 

''As  to  blanketing,"  one  horseman  writes,  "the 
guy  at  the  wheel  is  supposed  to  know  when  to 
blanket.  I  always  put  on  a  blanket  and  hood 
on  cold,  windy  days.  Never  allow  a  direct 
draft  to  hit  the  cnlt  wlien  he  is  in  a  heated  con- 
dition." 

We  have  now  given  the  essential  features  of 
speed  work.  The  subject  might  be  extended  in- 
definitely, but  further  details  would  make  our  re- 
marks too  cumbersome.  As  Charles  Valentine 
very  expressively  set  forth  :  "This  thing  of  be- 
ing able  to  find  out  in  a  book  how  to  break,  shoe, 
train  and  feed  a  colt  is  all  a  frost.  As  you  know, 
you  can't  handle  all  colts  alike.  The  first  thing 
owners  should  do  with  a  colt  ready  for  speed  de- 
velopment is  to  send  it  to  a  first  class  trainer." 

The  man  who  wants  to  win  a  futurity,  and  who 
can  aft"ord  it,  should  either  hire  a  good  trainer,  or 
send  his  colt  to  one.  But  if  an  owner  cannot 
aft'ord  this,  or  if  he  is  one  who  owns  colts  for 
the  pleasure  of  training  them  himself,  he  must 
carefully  study  what  others  have  done  and  apply 
the  knowledge  gained  to  his  own  colts  to  the  best 


44  TAKE   AM)  TRAINING    OF    TKOTTKKS   AND    I'ACERS. 

of  his  ability.     He  must  never  do  anything  with 
a  colt  unless  he  knows  why  he  is  doing  it. 

One  of  our  collaborators  suggests  that  this 
chapter  include  a  short  story  of  the  methods  of 
training  some  of  the  famous  yearlings  of  both 
the  present  and  past.  We  are  glad  to  accept  this 
suggestion,  and  find  our  work  lessened  by  refer- 
ence to  Roland  Drake's  article  in  the  191 2  Christ- 
mas number  of  "The  Horseman." 
Airdale,  2:153^ 

Airdale,  i,  2:15^,  the  world's  champion  year- 
ling trotter,  was  foaled  in  April,  191 1.  Before 
he  was  weaned  he  had  learned  to  eat  grain  and 
was  halter-broken.  In  October,  191 1,  he  was 
broken  to  harness,  and  after  twelve  hitchings  or 
less  was  turned  out  for  the  winter.  He  was  in 
training  (at  Lexington,  Ky.)  where  this  could  be 
done.  Incidentally,  without  any  efiforc  to  "search" 
the  colt,  he  stepped  an  eighth  in  25  seconds. 
About  March  i,  1912,  Airdale  was  taken  up  and 
shod  and  jogged  on  the  road  for  a  month  ;  then 
sent  to  the  track  for  training.  He  was  brushed 
every  other  good  day,  for  a  short  distance,  to 
make  speed.  On  June  25  he  was  driven  a  half  in 
I  :i2^  and  a  quarter  in  135,  and  turned  out  for 
a  month.  After  his  short  vacation  he  was  taken 
up,  and  after  another  month's  training  was  driven 
his  first  full  mile  in  2 150,  about  Aug.  25.  In 
the  next  two  weeks  he  was  given  three  miles  better 
than   2:40,   the   fastest  in   2:28>^.     In  the  mean- 


MAKING     SPEED     WITH     YEARLINGS.  45 

time,  he  had  been  a  half  in  i  107 ;<;  and  a  quarter 
in  33  seconds.  On  September  18  he  was  started 
for  a  record,  and  trotted  in  2 :20.  A  few  days 
later  he  trotted  in  2:41,  then  2:27.  On  Sept.  30 
he  was  driven  a  mile  in  2  :2i^,  last  half  in  i  :o6^, 
last  quarter  in  :2,2ji.  The  next  day  he  was  given 
slow  jog  work,  and  the  following  day  (Oct.  2) 
started  publicly  to  beat  2 :20,  and  trotted  a  mile 
in  2:15^,  breaking  all  yearling  trotting  records. 
This  was  the  last  of  his  fast  work  for  ihe  year. 
He  was  kept  up  and  jogged  for  a  while  and  let 
down  gradually.  Airdale  was  broken  as  a  wean- 
ling and  trained  and  driven  as  a  yearling  by 
Hunter  C.  Moody,  who  uses  the  system  explained 
above  on  almost  all  of  the  colts  he  trains.  He 
does  not  favor  leading  colts  beside  of,  or  ahead 
of,  a  pony. 

Peter  Volo,  2:19. 
Peter  Volo,  i,  2:19,  thar  was  the  champion 
yearling  trotter  for  about  six  weeks,  and  second 
onlv  to  Airdale,  was  foaled  April  25,  191 1.  He 
was  weaned  about  October  i,  and  halter  broken 
and  led  beside  a  pony.  The  usual  custom  at  the 
farm  where  he  was  foaled  is  for  colts  to  be 
ground  broken  shortly  after  January  i,  but  not 
hitched  in  shafts  until  about  Alarch  i,  when  they 
are  driven  through  the  fields  barefooted.  But  in 
the  case  of  Peter  Volo  it  was  expected  to  sell  him 
at  auction  in  May,  so  he  was  not  ground  broken, 
but  trained  beside  a  pony  in  the  spring.     He  went 


46         CARE  AND  TRAINING   OF   TROTTERS  AND   IMAGERS. 

to  the  sale,  but  was  bid  in  and  returned  to  the 
farm.  He  was  hitched  to  a  cart  for  the  hrst  time 
about  Alay  15.  He  was  practically  broken  the 
first  time  he  was  hitched.  The  third  time  in  har- 
ness he  was  hooked  to  a  bike  cart  and  trotted  a 
quarter  in  40  seconds.  Before  long  he  trotted  a 
quarter  in  36  seconds.  Note  that  he  was  broken 
to  drive  about  seven  months  after  Airdale,  but 
soon  stepped  a  faster  quarter  than  Airdale  had 
trotted  at  the  same  time.  About  July  i  Peter 
Volo  was  driven  a  mile  in  2  :33.  In  tw^o  weeks 
he  trotted  in  2:26^,  and  a  few^  days  later  in 
2:23^.  On  August  16  he  was  started  to  beat 
2'3oj4>  and  trotted  in  2:19,  lowering  the  world's 
yearling  record,  held  by  Miss  Stokes,  by  one-quar- 
ter of  a  second.  Later  he  w^as  driven  a  half  in 
I  :o6,  with  the  last  quarter  in  31^  seconds.  Peter 
Volo  was  trained  and  driven  by  Ed  Willis,  who 
was  also  responsible  for  ^liss  Stoke='.. 

Hester  C,  2:2i><,  was  foaled  in  the  spring  of 
191 1.  She  was  weaned  and  halter  broken  in  the 
fall,  then  harnessed  and  driven  ahead  of  a  pony, 
not  to  make  speed,  but  to  teach  her  how^  to  behave 
in  harness  ;  then  she  was  turned  out,  without  being 
hitched,  shod  or  booted.  About  April  i,  1912, 
she  was  hitched  to  a  cart  and  jogged  without 
shoes  until  ready  for  speed  work.  She  was  given 
full  miles  in  training,  not  driven  any  extremelv 
fast  quarters  or  halves,  as  her  trainer  (Henry 
Williams)   believed  thev  take  too  much  out  of  a 


MAKING     SrEED     WITH     YEARLINGS.  47 

colt.     She  took  Iier  record  at  Lexini^ton  on  Octo- 
ber II,   1912. 

Wickliffe  Curry,  who  has  given  records  to  more 
vearHngs  than  anyone  except  Moody,  halter 
breaks  as  soon  as  colts  are  weaned,  then  has  them 
shod  and  leads  them  beside  a  pony.  He  boots 
his  colts  for  protection.  After  being  led  a  few 
times,  he  ground-breaks  them,  and  later  on,  dur- 
ing the  winter  months,  they  are  hitched  and 
broken  to  drive.  The  speed  making  comes  in  the 
spring.  Stewart  Chandler  handles  his  colts  in 
much  the  same  way  as  Curry. 

Previous  to  Peter  \^olo,  the  champion  yearling 
trotter  was  Miss  Stokes,  i,  2:igl4,  that  w^as 
trained  by  Ed  Willis  in  his  usual  manner,  as  pre- 
viously outlined. 

Wilbur  Lou,  2:19!/2. 

Previous  to  Peter  Volo,  the  champion  yearling 
trotting  stallion,  was  Wilbur  Lou  2:19^,  devel- 
oped by  the  late  Frank  H.  Hollow^ay,  of  Hemet 
Stock  Farm,  Hemet,  Calif.  Wilbur  Lou  was 
weaned  and  halter-broken  in  the  month  of  De- 
cember, 1909.  \\'hen  he  was  nicely  halter-broken, 
he  was  bitted  and  ground  broken  for  about  a 
month.  He  was  then  hitched  and  driven  a  few- 
times,  and  then  turned  out.  On  the  20th  of  April 
he  was  taken  up  again  and  driven  for  several 
days  before  being  shod  with  6  oz.  half  round 
shoes  in  front,  and  4  oz.  plain  shoes  behind.  The 
next  day  he  stepped  an  eighth  in   130 yS,  two  days 


4S  CARE   AND  TRAINING   O''    TROTTERS   AND    PACERS. 

later  in  128}^,  and  two  weeks  later  in  :22^  sec- 
onds. Up  to  this  time  he  had  not  been  asked  to 
go  further  than  an  eighth  of  a  mile,  and  in 
working  was  not  turned  around,  but  kept  on  going 
the  same  way  of  the  track.  For  the  next  two 
weeks,  he  was  repeated  quarters  every  other  day. 
He  made  speed  so  fast  that  through  the  month 
of  June  he  was  worked  only  once  a  week.  The 
25th  of  June  he  trotted  a  quarter  in  39}^  seconds, 
with  an  eighth  in  18  seconds.  He  was  not  worked 
again  until  the  6th  of  July,  and  on  through  that 
month  was  brushed  quarters  twice  a  week.  July 
29th  he  trotted  a  quarter  in  36><,  an  eighth  in 
I7>4-  August  1st  he  was  worked  his  first  mile 
in  2:55,  l^st  quarter  in  39  seconds.  August  5th, 
2:45;  August  9th,  2:42^^,  last  quarter  in  36^; 
August  I2th,  2:37^,  last  quarter  in  36.  On 
August  1 6th  he  was  brushed  quarters,  one  in 
3S/i^  ^^^^^  one-eighth  in  17^4;  August  20th,  mile 
in  2:50;  August  25th,  mile  in  2:40^;  Sept.  ist, 
mile  in  2 130^/^  ;  Sept.  8th,  mile  in  2:28^;  Sept. 
I2th,  2:45;  Sept.  i6th,  mile  2:331^;  Sept. 
19th,  mile  2:27%,  last  quarter  in  136.  All 
this  work  was  over  the  farm  half  mile  track.  The 
last  mile  was  6^  seconds  faster  than  the  world's 
half-mile-track  yearling  trotting  record  made  the 
same  year  by  Benear.  This  concluded  his  work 
at  home,  as  he  was  shipped  to  Phoenix,  Arizona, 
where  he  got  his  record.  His  first  workout  on 
a  mile  track  was  in  2:24^^.     A   few  days  later. 


MAKIXC     Sl'EKD     WITH     YEARLINGS.  49 

on  Nov.  8th,  he  trotted  a  pubhc  mile  in  2:23, 
eqiiaHng  Adbell's  record.  Three  days  later  he 
trotted  in  2:19^/^,  with  the  quarters  in  :34>>4, 
:2>4Hy  -36  and  :35.  The  same  system  was  used 
on    Harry    R.    (i)    2:243^    and    Hemet,    p.,    (3) 

2:o8j4. 

Adbell,  2:23. 
Previous  to  Miss  Stokes,  the  world's  champion 
yeariing  was  Adbell,  2:23,  that  took  his  record  at 
San  Jose,  Calif.,  Sept.  27,  1894,  driven  by  Walter 
Maben,  although  his  speed  was  developed  by  John 
S.  Phippen.  We  know  little  about  the  method 
in  which  his  speed  was  made.  His  first  start  was 
on  Aug.  17,  when  he  won  a  dash  on  a  bad  day 
and  on  a  slow  track  in  2:28,  a  new  record  for  a 
yearling  colt  in  a  race.  On  Aug.  27,  in  another 
dash,  he  won  in  2  :26,  further  reducing  the  year- 
ling race  record,  and  also  the  yearling  stallion 
record  of  Athadon,  2:27.  On  Sept.  27  he  trotted 
a  mile  against  time  in  2  :2^,  quarters  in    136,    136. 

■35H^  ;35M- 

Previous  to  Adbell,  the  champion  yearling  trot- 
ting stallions  were  Athadon,  2  :2'/,  driven  by  Mart 
Dwyer  at  Stockton,  Calif.,  Xov.  28,  1891,  and 
Freedom,  2:2934,  driven  by  John  A.  Goldsmith 
at  Xapa.  Calif.,  Oct.  18,  1890. 

Previous  to  Adbell,  the  champion  yearling  trot- 
ters, without  regard  to  sex,  were :  Pansy  Mc- 
Gregor, 2:23^,  driven  by  O.  M.  Keets  at  Hor- 
ton,    Kas.,    Xov.    18,    1893;    Frou    Frou,    2:25^a, 


5U         CAKE   AND  TRAINING   OF   TUOTTEKS   AND   I'ACERS. 

driven  by  Millard  Sanders,  at  Stockton,  Calif., 
Nov.  28,  1891  ;  Bell  Bird,  2:26j4,  driven  bv 
Charles  Marvin,  at  Stockton,  Calif.,  Oct.  21, 
1891;  then  Freedom,  2:29^,  already  mentioned, 
the  first  yearling  to  trot  in  2:30. 

Marvin's  Three   Champions. 

Charles  Marvin,  the  great  colt  trainer  of  his 
day,  drove  three  yearling  champions  to  their  rec- 
ords:  Hinda  Rose,  2:36;^  (1881),  Norlaine, 
2:3i>^   (1887)   and  Bell  Bird,  2 :26>^    (1891). 

We  quote  from  Marvin's  book,  which  describes 
the  training  of  Norlaine.  With  less  than  a 
month's  preparation,  she  reduced  the  world's  rec- 
ord for  her  age  4J4  seconds : 

"From  the  day  that  Hinda  Rose  made  her  record 
of  2:361/2  in  1881  there  was  no  yearling  produced  in 
America  to  threaten  that  record  until  the  season  of 
1887,  and  as  long  as  it  was  not  menaced  we  made 
no  effort  to  improve  it.  But  a  surprise  came  from 
Kentucky  in  ihe  year  last  mentioned,  when  the  deeds 
of  Sudie  D.  made  her  famous.  *  *  *  George 
Bowerman  started  her  at  Lexington,  October  15th, 
and  she  went  the  mile  in  2:35^.  When  the  news 
arrived  that  the  Palo  Alto  yearling  record  had  been 
eclipsed  we  at  once  set  to  work  to  bring  the  honor 
back.  The  time  was  short,  and  we  had  to  pick  a 
good  one  of  our  youngsters  and  push  development 
at  high  pressure.  The  most  forward  of  our  yearlings 
was  the  filly  Norlaine,  by  Norval  (present  record 
2:17^),  out  of  Elaine,  2:20— the  fast  mare  by  Mes- 
senger Duroc,  out  of  Green  Mountain  Maid,  whose 
history  I  have  already  given.  She  was  a  rather  dull 
brown  in  color,  a  trifle  pony-built  in  some  respects, 
but  with  a  long,  low-set  body,  short  sloping  hip  of 
the  pacing  formation,  and  low  at  the  withers.  Her 
legs  and  feet  were  of  the  best  quality,  and  she  had 
a   level    head.      Norlaine    was    not    impressive    in    ap- 


MAKING.    SPEED     WITH     YEARLINGS.  51 

pearance  until  you  saw  her  go.  She  was  always 
fast  from  her  first  lesson  on  the  miniature  track,  and 
I  began  working  her  in  April,  but  gave  her  only  the 
easiest  of  work,  as  the  intention  was  not  to  start 
her  until  she  was  two  years  old.  But  Sudie  D.'s 
brilliant  performance  in  October  changed  all  this, 
and  I  then  began  training  the  filly  in  earnest,  work- 
ing her  twice  a  day.  In  doing  this,  of  course,  I  took 
chances  of  injuring  her,  and,  indeed,  of  breaking  her 
down.  Had  we  begun  earlier,  she  could  have  been 
given  more  work,  and  could  have  been  developed  to 
a  higher  point,  with  little  or  no  risk,  but  we  never 
allow  such  considerations  to  stand  in  the  way  when 
the  supremacy  of  Palo  Alto  in  colt  records  is  at 
stake.  The  filly  took  her  hard  work  with  relish,  and 
improved  under  it  until  November  12th,  when  we 
felt  that  she  was  equal  to  the  task  of  plucking  the 
fresh  laurels  from  Sudie  D.'s  brow.  The  trial  was 
made  at  the  Bay  District  track.  San  Francisco,  and 
she  trotted  the  mile  in  2:31^4.  a  yearling  record  that 
has  a  good  chance  to  last  as  long  as  Hinda  Rose's. 
The  time  by  quarters  was   :39,  :36.  :38.   •.3Sy2." 

We  will  quote  also  from  ^Marvin's  description 
of  Hinda  Rose's  training: 

"Hinda  Rosa  was  our  first  youngster  that  earned 
fame  at  the  early  period  of  yearling  form.  She  was 
foaled  Februarv  22.  1880,  and  is  a  brown  mare,  by 
Electioneer,  out  of  Beautiful  Bells.  2:29^.  *  *  * 
She  was  well  broken  early,  and  in  her  yearling  form 
T  began  working  her.  Her  serious  training  began 
July  5.  1881;  T  had  now  gotten  well  into  the  Palo 
Alto  system  of  training,  and  could  work  the  new 
fanglcd  ideas  pretty  skillfully.  She  was  worked  on 
the  method  described  in  chapters  further  on.  until 
November  5th,  the   date   of   her  first  public  perform- 

(Note. — The  reader  will  note  a  reference  to  the  training  paddock 
svstem  used  at  Palo  Alto  Farm.  This  was  an  improvement  over 
the  ordinary  paddock.  Corners  were  rounded  off,  so  that  when  colts 
were  chased  around  they  would  not  trot  up  into  a  corner  and 
stop.  Later  two  covered  tracks  were  constructed,  one  313  feet 
in  circumference,  the  other  5^6  feet  around.  After  the  colts 
were  thoroughly  halter  broken  they  were  turned  into  these  tracks 
and  chased  about  to  develop  their  speed.  The  Palo  Alto  miniature 
track  system  had  ouite  a  vogue,  as  did  the  other  old-time  plan  of 
hitching  a  colt  in  double  harness  by  the  side  of  an  older  horse,  but 
both  methods  have  practically  gone  out  of  use.) 


52  CAKE   AND   TRAINING   OF    TROTTERS   AND    PACERS. 


ance.  The  yearling  record  was  then  2:56^,  and  at 
the  Bay  District  Track  a  set  of  harness  was  offered 
to_  yearlings  to  trot  against  this  record.  The  first 
trial  was  made  by  the  filly  Pride,  by  Buccaneer, 
owned  by  Count  Valensin,  and  driven  by  John  Gold- 
smith, who  has  since  handled  Guy  Wilkes,  Sable 
Wilkes  and  other  horses  so  successfully  for  Mr. 
Corbitt.  Pride  made  the  mile  in  2:44^.  I  then  drove 
Hinda  Rose  and  she  went  from  wire  to  wire  in 
2:433^.  On  the  24th  we  gave  her  another  trail,  when 
she  went  in  2:36^,  and  this  stood  as  the  yearling 
record  until  1888,  when  it  was  lowered  successfully 
by  the  Kentucky  filly,  Sudie  D.,  and  our  lost  Palo 
Alto   star,    Norlaine." 

Half-Mile  Track  Yearlings. 
Edna  the  Great,  2:2934,  former  champion  year- 
ling trotter  on  a  half-mile  track,  was  trained  and 
driven  by  Dr.  W.  A.  Barber,  a  dentist  of  Spring- 
field, Ohio,  who  finds  recreation  in  horses.  The 
following  is  his  own  story : 

"Edna  proved  to  be  a  bear-cat  to  subdue,  be- 
ing unbroken  when  I  bought  her  early  in  her  yearling 
form.  We  found  it  necessary  to  pad  her  stall  with 
baled  straw,  in  order  that  she  would  not  do  injury 
to  herself  in  her  attempts  to  get  away  from  her  tor- 
mentors. Halter  breaking  and  bitting  required  all  of 
April  and  a  portion  of  May  before  we  hitched  her. 
She  was  a  broncho  when  we  hitched  her.  The  brush 
system  was  not  used,  as  she  had  all  the  speed  on 
tap  that  was  necessary.  She  was  low  in  flesh  and 
gentle  exercise  was  all  that  we  aimed  to  give  her  for 
the  next  few  weeks.  She  was  hitched  daily  for  a 
couple  of  weeks  at  a  time,  then  a  run  in  the  paddock 
for  a  few  days  and  she  began  to  take  on  flesh.  With 
an  abundance  of  feed,  plenty  of  grass  and  a  tonic 
to  tone  up  her  system,  we  started  in  to  give  her  a 
mile  every  morning,  very  slow  at  first,  with  a  brush 
home,  gradually  increasing  the  distance  that  she  was 
stepped  at  speed  until  we  were  going  a  pretty  fair 
quarter  in  almost  every  workout,  keeping  always  in 
mind  not  to  ask  her  for  more  than  she  could  do 
well    within    herself,    never    at    any    time    did    I    carry 


MAKING     Sl'KED     WITH     YEARLINGS. 


her  to  the  extreme  limit  of  her  effort,  or  to  the 
point  of  exhaustion.  The  chief  thing  in  the  training 
of  Edna  the  Great  was  to  be  able  to  say  'whoa'  often 
enough,  as  she  had  ambition  enough  to  try  to  beat 
any  horse  on  the  track.  It  was  not  very  long  before 
she  began  to  go  miles.  A  mile  around  three  minutes 
seemed  a  romp  for  her,  and  she  was  given  a  mile 
every  morning  that  we  had  favorable  weather  con- 
ditions, with  a  brush  at  the  end  of  the  mile.  A  little 
later  in  her  work  we  began  to  take  her  down  to  the 
eighth  pole  at  a  good,  stiff  clip,  then  ease  her  up 
to  within  a  short  distance  of  the  wire  and  let  her 
step  a  short  distance  at  the  end  of  the  mile. 

"She  was  worked  very  early  in  the  morning  in 
order  that  she  w^ould  have  a  light  rub  and  then 
walked  through  the  dewy  grass  and  allowed  to  have 
a  good  lunch  of  grass;  and  made  an  effort  to  have 
her  legs  well  bathed  in  the  cool  dew  each  morning 
when  it  was  at  all  possible.  She  never  had  a  bandage 
on,  and  her  legs  or  her  general  physical  condition 
would  not  indicate  that  she  had  ever  worn  harness. 

"She  was  gradually  dropped  down  in  her  work 
to  the  2:40  mark  and  beat  that  notch  upon  two  oc- 
casions prior  to  her  record  mile.  One  mile  was  in 
2:33^,  with  the  last  half  in  1:10.  On  the  29th  day  of 
August,  at  the  Columbus,  O.,  State  Fair  Grounds, 
upon  a  track  that  was  exceedingly  slow  due  to  rainy 
weather,  she  was  sent  against  the  record  of  2:34^ 
made  by  Benear  at  Goshen,  N.  Y.,  with  the  result 
well  known  to  all  that  love  the  American  trotter. 

"Her  shoeing  and  rigging  was  of  the  simplest  kind; 
in  front  she  wore  a  4^-oz.  shoe,  no  toe  weight  at 
any  time,  with  a  short  toe,  and  behind  she  wore  a 
shoe  as  light  as  could  be  made  to  afford  sufficient 
protection  to  her  feet. 

"Her  harness  was  plain,  breast  collar,  blind  bridle 
with  a  nose  band  attached  to  a  standing  martingale, 
and  carried  her  head  level  with  her  body.  Her  boots 
were  the  lightest  that  I  could  procure  and  she  never 
showed  any  marks  on  them." 

The    next    cliampion    yearling    trotter    over    a 

half-mile  track  was  U.  Forbes.     Despite  a  sticky 

track  and  high  wind  he  trotted  a  mile  in  2:213/^, 


54  CARE   AND  TUAIMNC    OK    TKOTTEKS   AM)    TACEKS. 

driven  by  Hunter  C.  Moody,  at  Louisville,  Ky., 
September  ly,  191 3.  The  colt  was  sent  away 
slow,  first  eighth  in  119^.  The  next  eighth  was 
in  17  seconds,  making  the  quarter  in  :36^.  The 
next  quarter  was  in  '.2)?)^,/i  (a  2:13  gait),  making 
the  half  in  1:10.  The  next  quarter  was  in  135^ 
and  home  in    :36. 


Ail  dale,    2:15%     (in    1912).    World's    Champion    Yearling    Trotter. 


i'Ki;i'Ai;i\<;  ii>k   iwo-vkak old  ftttkities. 


Chapter  IV — Preparing  for  Two-year-old 

Futurities. 

E  HA\E  written  of  the  care 
and  training  of  the  cok  from 
the  day  it  is  foaled  till  the 
time  when  it  is  desired  to 
"make  speed."  We  assumed 
that  the  speed-making  was  to 
he  done  in  the  colt's  yearling 
form — we  have  even  shown  how  colts  are 
worked  for  yearling  records.  If  it  is  not  desired 
to  make  speed  in  a  yearling,  this  part  of  the  colt's 
education  may  be  postponed  a  year  or  two,  at  the 
owner's  option,  but  even  if  colt  is  not  to  be  raced 
tmtil  its  aged  form  it  is  desirable  to  "make  speed" 
while  it  is  young  and  impressionable,  for  the  colt 
will  be  easier  to  train  later.  This  chapter  is  to  be 
devoted  to  preparing  two-year-olds  for  the  futuri- 
ties. By  this  we  do  not  mean  to  advise  that  all 
two-year-olds  be  prepared  with  that  purpose  in 
view,  but  in  case  it  is  desired  to  train  a  tw^o-year- 
old  this  chapter  will  be  found  to  contain  valuable 
hints  from  noted  trainers. 

In  many  cases  the  two-year-old  that  is  to  be 
trained  for  the  futurities  will  have  been  running 
out  during  the  winter,  especially  in  southern  clim- 
ates. Some  trainers,  of  whom  J.  B.  Chandler  is 
one,  do  not  believe  that  colts  that  are  to  be  trained 
for  the  tw^o-vear-old  futurities  should  be  turned 


56  CAUK   AND   TRAINING   OF  TKOTTEUS  AND   PACERS. 

out  at  all,  but  should  be  kept  up  all  winter,  and 
carefully  fed,  perhaps  jogged  a  little,  and  occasion- 
ally turned  out  in  a  paddock.  Even  if  turned  out 
in  the  fall,  it  is  advisable  to  take  the  colt  up 
early  (some  advise  January  i)  so  that  it  will  be- 
come well-muscled  and  hardened  in  flesh  before 
the  spring  speed-work  commences. 

Almost  every  trainer  has  a  different  way  of 
working  colts,  some  give  no  jog  work  at  all  (only 
brushing),  some  jog  a  great  deal,  and  others  com- 
bine or  alternate  jogging  and  brushing.  We  will 
illustrate  the  various  methods  by  citing  specific 
cases. 

One  prominent  horseman,  who  usually  trains  in 
the  South  and  who  is  too  modest  to  allow  the  use 
of  his  name,  writes :  ''We  begin  as  early  as  possi- 
ble and  jog  and  brush  our  two-year-olds,  begin- 
ning with  two  mile  jogs  which  include  two  or  three 
brushes  of  %  mile.  These  jogs  are  gradually  in- 
creased in  length  and  speed  until  we  are  jogging 
four  miles  and  brushing  quarters.  Then  we  begin 
working  miles  around  3 :30  three  times  a  week, 
dropping  down  two  seconds  a  week  until  we  are 
going  miles  in  2  140,  when  we  begin  repeating.  Now 
we  work  miles  in  3  :oo  and  another  one  in  the  same 
time.  We  gradually  reduce  the  time  of  both  miles 
according  to  how  the  colts  progress.  We  do  not 
work  three  heat  repeats  until  about  two  weeks 
before  we  expect  to  race,  and  not  at  all  if  we  do 
not  expect  to  start." 


PREPARING  FOR  TWO-YEAR-OLD  FUTURITIES.  57 

J.  B.  Chandler  writes:  "I  do  not  believe  in  jog 
work  for  two-year-olds.  I  only  brush  my  colts. 
When  the  colt  gets  so  he  can  brush  a  quarter  in  32 
seconds  then  I  commence  working  miles.  I  be- 
lieve in  working  colts  in  training  a  little  every  good 
day.  I  start  in  miles  about  as  fast  as  the  colt  can 
go  without  tiring  and  let  the  colt  drop  himself 
down  at  successive  workouts  as  he  learns  to  trot. 
When  you  have  speed  enough  (a  man  will  have 
to  judge  for  himself)  you  can  commence  working 
two-heat  repeats.  I  do  not  believe  in  three-heat 
repeats  for  two-year-olds.'' 

Amos  Whiteley  writes:  "It  is  my  opinion  that 
two-year-olds  should  never  be  prepared  for  futuri- 
ties of  that  age.  We  bring  our  two-year-olds 
along,  commencing  with  them  about  the  ist  of 
April  of  their  two-year-old  form,  and  go  right 
along  mannering  and  jogging  them  for  the  first 
thirty  days ;  then  we  commence  making  speed  with 
them  for  short  distances,  say  a  sixteenth  to  an 
eighth  of  a  mile,  and  keep  brushing  them  for  about 
sixty  days.  We  never  give  them  any  full  miles 
where  they  can  step,  but  we  do  brush  them  quar- 
ters, give  them  slow  miles,  stepping  them  the  last 
quarter.  What  we  want  is  good  three-year-olds, 
four-year-olds,  and  five-year-olds,  and  we  do  not 
approve  of  over-developing  them  as  two-year- 
olds." 

Dr.  W.  A.  Barber  writes:  "I  believe  in  starting- 
early  wnth  a  two-year-old,  say  January  i,  so  as  to 


r.S  (AKK   AM)  TUAININC   OF   TKO'I'IKKS   AND   TACEltS. 

harden  it  up  for  the  brush  work  later.  I 
believe  in  jogging  every  good  day,  but  as  to  how 
much  of  it,  that  depends  on  the  colt.  Many  colts 
take  as  much  work  as  an  aged  horse  and  thrive  on 
it.  I  begin  working  heats  as  soon  as  weather  and 
track  get  good  in  the  spring.  I  work  every  other 
day,  at  first,  if  colt  is  strong,  starting  in  with  miles 
from  3  130  to  3  :5o  and  drop  down  very  gradually. 
I  begin  giving  slow  repeats  within  40  days  after 
working  a  full  mile,  the  first  one  very  slow,  the 
second  one  the  same  to  past  the  three-quarters, 
with  a  brush  home.  I  never  give  three-heat  re- 
peats until  within  a  few  weeks  of  first  engage- 
ment." 

James  Benyon  writes  :  "All  the  colts  I  have  been 
connected  with  were  worked  a  little  in  the  fall  as  a 
yearling  and  jogged  all  winter.  In  my  opinion,  a 
colt  should  be  taken  up  in  its  two-year-old  form  as 
soon  as  possible.  A  colt  has  everything  to  learn 
and  the  more  chance  you  get  to  school  him  or  her, 
the  more  it  is  bound  to  learn.  The  colt  should  be 
jogged  every  day  that  is  favorable.  I  never  jog  a 
two-year-old  over  three  miles  and  the  next  day 
after  working  one  I  usually  jog  only  two  miles. 
We  start  working  them  one  heat,  every  other  day, 
from  the  middle  of  March,  when  the  weather  per- 
mits. How  fast  the  colt  should  be  worked  at  first 
depends  entirely  on  how  fast  the  colt  is.  We 
usually  go  very  slow  miles  and  step  the  last  eighth 
or  quarter  near  its  limit,  say  miles  around  3  :oo 


I'KKPAKINM;    I'OK  TWO-YEAK-OLl)   FUTUUITIKS.  59 

to  3 130  to  Start  on.  I  would  drop  a  colt  from 
3  :oo  in  the  latter  part  of  ]\Iarch  to  2  130  by  the  first 
of  May.  Commence  to  repeat  colt  when  you  cut 
down  to  2  :30.  that  is  by  fore  part  of  May.  When 
we  start  repeating  we  usually  go  the  first  heat  in 
2 140  to  2 :45  and  second  heat  in  2 130  to  2 :35. 
About  dropping  one  down.  I  can  give  you  my  idea 
from  Sweet  Alice's  work  as  a  two-year-old.  She 
worked  in  2:30  about  ]\Iay  loth,  went  from  there 
to  2  :2^  by  June  5th.  Was  working  her  three  heat 
repeats  by  ^lay  20th.  Two  heats  the  forepart  of 
week  and  three  the  latter  part,  altogether  five 
heats  a  week.  She  went  in  2  -.22  by  June  20th, 
going  seven  heats  a  week  then,  three  first  of  week 
and  four  latter  part.  During  Grand  Rapids  meet 
she  worked  in  2:19,  at  Kalamazoo  two  heats  the 
same  day  in  2  :i9>^  and  2  119,  at  Detroit  two  miles 
in  2:173/2  and  2:17,  at  Cleveland  two  miles  in 
2:18  and  2:16^4.  Then  went  to  the  post  the  next 
week  at  Pittsburgh.  This  is  about  all  I  can  tell 
about  working  colts.  You  can  seldom  work  any 
two  colts  alike  because  you  seldom  see  two  of  the 
same  kind,  some  want  more  work  and  some  don't 
need  as  much.  Some  want  to  be  brushed  a  lot 
and  others  need  very  little  brushing." 

Ed  F.  Geers  writes:  "Two-year-old  colts  shoula 
be  taken  up  in  February,  if  possible,  and  jogged 
two  or  three  miles  every  day,  except  Sunday. 
After  the  colt  is  seasoned  he  should  be  brushed 
a   little   every   other   day   at   three-quarter   speed. 


GO  CARE   AND   TUAIXING   OF  TROTTERS   AND   PACERS. 

After  working  him  a  month  or  six  weeks  that 
way,  he  could  go  an  easy  mile,  twice  a  week,  let- 
ting him  move  a  little  strong  at  the  finish.  Along 
in  June,  after  having  several  of  these  easy  miles, 
he  might  be  repeated,  well  within  himself,  finish- 
ing a  little  strong  through  the  stretch.  Drop  him 
down  a  couple  of  seconds  every  week.  Three  or 
four  weeks  before  his  race  I  would  give  him  three 
heat  repeats  to  key  him  up  for  his  race.  Care 
should  be  taken  not  to  tire  the  colt ;  the  main  thing 
is  to  keep  him  cheerful.  Use  an  easy  bit,  handle 
his  mouth  gently,  and  have  him  drive  good  and 
straight  on  the  bit." 

Roy  Miller  writes:  "A  two-year-old  should  be 
jogged  every  clear  day,  except  Sunday,  from  three 
to  six  miles,  or  enough  to  keep  him  quiet.  After 
four  or  six  weeks  commence  giving  him  slow  miles 
every  other  day,  with  a  skip,  depending  on  a  colt's 
spirits  and  his  ability  to  take  work.  I  would  train 
him  from  then  on  just  as  I  did  Justice  Brooke. 
Enclosed  find  a  summary  of  his  work."  (This 
will  be  presented  later.) 

Charles  A.  Valentine  writes:  "There  are  no 
two  colts  that  can  be  trained  alike.  It  would  be 
impossible  for  any  man  to  tell  you  how  to  train 
colts.  There  are  a  few  general  rules — colts  should 
be  broken  when  they  are  eight  months  old  and 
have  nice  big  paddocks  with  plenty  of  grass  and 
plenty  of  good  oats  and  then  have  a  competent 
trainer,   who  will  train  them   according  to  what 


PREPARING   FOR   TWO-YEAR-OLD    FUTURITIES.  61 

they  can  stand.  Aly  way  of  handling  colts,  after  I 
break  them,  is  to  keep  them  going  from  that  time 
on,  according  to  their  condition.  Xo  two  can  be 
trained  exactly  alike." 

Budd  Doble  writes:  "I  have  had  but  very  little 
experience  in  handling  colts,  having  devoted  most 
of  my  time  to  aged  horses.  However,  in  my  judg- 
ment, you  should  commence  w^th  the  two-year-old 
as  early  as  possible.  As  to  how  far  and  often  to 
jog,  and  when  to  speed,  etc.,  depends  very  much 
on  the  colt,  and  has  to  be  done  entirely  on  judg- 
ment. Hardly  any  two  will  need  the  same 
training." 

Jos.  L.  Serrill  writes:  "I  start  in  November  of 
a  colt's  yearling  form  to  prepare  him  for  the  two- 
year-old  futurities  and  jog  him  every  clear  week 
day  from  three  to  five  miles.  I  start  working 
heats,  twice  a  week,  as  soon  as  the  weather  per- 
mits. I  work  quite  a  lot  of  miles  at  first  in  3  :30. 
then  drop  down  two  to  three  seconds.  \'ery  soon 
after  I  get  the  colt  down  two  or  three  seconds  a 
week.  After  I  get  him  down  to  3:15  I  work  re- 
peats and  after  2:50,  three  heat  repeats." 

O.  H.  Sholes  writes :  ''Nowadays  we  expect  a 
ten-year-old  finished  race  horse  at  two  years  of 
age,  so  time  is  the  most  essential  thing ;  therefore 
commence  as  soon  as  the  colt  is  born  and  keep 
busy,  teach  it  something  every  day.  Ask  yourself 
every  day  what  you  have  taught  the  colt  that  day. 
The  most  necessary  things  are  speed,  manners,  and 


G'2  CAKK   AND   TUAIXING    OV   TIJOTTKKS  AND   rACEl{f>. 

condition.  Teach  it  manners  first  and  then  speed, 
then  more  manners,  and  then  more  speed.  The 
condition  is  easy,  it  will  usually  come  itself.  To 
make  manners,  be  gentle  and  kind,  and  not  always 
too  firm.  Treat  the  colt  as  you  would  your  son, 
if  he  cracks  a  joke  laugh  at  it.  It  will  be  your 
turn  to  crack  a  joke  next.  To  make  speed,-  never 
let  a  colt  know  how  fast  he  can  go.  Drive  him  his 
best  often,  but  don't  let  him  know  it.  The  way  to 
do  this  is  by  letting  it  step  fast  for  an  eighth  or  a 
sixteenth;  speak  to  it,  tap  it  with  the  whip,  and 
let  it  go  for  fifty  to  one  hundred  feet,  and  take  it 
right  back  to  the  clip  it  was  going  before  it  makes 
a  break.  I  don't  believe  in  making  speed  by  forc- 
ing to  a  break,  as  many  do.  Don't  let  the  colt 
make  a  hop  or  a  skip.  If  it  does,  and  continues, 
take  him  to  the  blacksmith.  Have  perfect  bal- 
ance and  a  perfect  gait.  Boot  him  for  protection 
only  and  if  he  should  hit  himself,  don't  wait  for 
him  to  wear  his  boots  out  (thinking  there  are  more 
where  yours  came  from)  but  take  colt  to  the  smith. 
When  you  think  he  can  step  an  eighth  in  the  spring 
in  sixteen  seconds,  take  out  your  watch  on  him 
and  if  he  steps  an  eighth  in  twenty  or  twenty- 
three  seconds  he  is  a  good  colt.  When  you  hear 
of  a  colt  stepping  an  eighth  in  sixteen  seconds  the 
fourth  time  it  was  hitched  it  is  usually  a  lie  or 
they  lost  track  of  his  workouts.  Such  talk  is 
misleading  to  the  new  trainer  and  to  the  owner. 
Along   in  June   I   would  work  colt  two   repeats, 


l'i{i:rAi;iN(;  jok   rwo-vKAit-oLi)  FrTrurriKs.  63 

about  twice  a  week  for  a  few  weeks,  say  at  2  140 
to  3  :oo,  and  then  go  back  to  short  brushes  through 
July  and  get  more  brush.  In  August  the  w'ork 
would  be  quite  severe,  say  2 140  down  to  about 
2  :20.  The  week  before  his  race  I  would  work  him 
to  step  one  mile  in  2  :i4  and  then  I  w'ould  be  ready 
to  beat  Lord  Allen  in  2  :ii.  If  the  colt  came  out  of 
his  first  race  sound,  I  would  expect  him  to  race 
well  the  next  week,  and  then  I  w^ould  not  be  great- 
ly disappointed  if  he  trained  off.  ]\Iany  of  them 
do,  and  you  must  expect  it.  Possibly  I  would  get 
another  good  race  out  of  him  later.  Condition  is 
like  an  ax,  once  you  lose  the  edge  it  is  hard  to  get 
back.  ^Manners  in  shipping  is  a  big  help.  Many 
race  horses  work  good  at  home,  but  as  soon  as 
loaded  on  the  cars,  the  stuff  is  oft'.  Anna  Axme 
2:o8'4,  the  futurity  winner  of  1912,  w^ould  lay 
down  on  the  cars  and  snore  w'hile  they  were 
running.  She  was  at  home  wherever  I  was.  The 
futurities  should  be  w^on  by  men  with  only  one 
colt,  as  they  have  more  time  to  educate  it  than 
we  fellows  do  who  have  a  great  many.  I  think 
all  colts  should  be  worked  and  raced  in  bandages. 
I  do  not  believe  in  working  a  two-year-old  three 
repeats." 

Harold  M.  Childs  writes:  "A  colt  to  be  trained 
with  a  view  of  starting  in  the  tw'o-year-old  fu- 
turities should,  in  the  first  place,  have  natural 
speed  and  be  good  headed  and  good  gaited.  I 
think  also  that  they  should  have  enough  work  as 


(J4    CARE  AND  TRAINING  OF  TROTTERS  AND  PACERS. 

yearlings  to  thoroughly  manner  them  and  de- 
velop and  grow  them.  They  should  commence 
jogging  about  February  i  and,  when  the  footing 
is  good,  should  be  jogged  fast,  right  up  to  their 
gait.  I  do  not  jog  over  two  miles  at  first,  and 
never  over  three  miles  later.  There  is  nothing 
so  harmful  to  a  colt  as  slow  jogging  over  a  long 
distance.  They  get  thoroughly  tired  and  sick  of 
the  game  and  learn  all  the  bad  habits  in  the  cata- 
logue. As  soon  as  there  is  a  track  in  the  spring 
they  should  be  worked  the  Gov.  Stanford  (Palo 
Alto)  brush  system,  working  them  a  little  every 
day,  except  Sunday,  and  being  very  careful  to 
not  do  too  much  with  them  any  one  day.  After 
a  month  of  this  kind  of  work  they  can  be  worked 
two  heats  of  the  brush  work,  every  other  day, 
jogging  two  to  three  miles  the  day  between  or, 
what  is  still  better,  be  turned  in  a  nice  grass  pad- 
dock the  day  between  the  repeats.  I  will  say 
here,  that  the  failures  I  have  seen  in  the  use  of 
the  brush  system  have  been  because  trainers  make 
too  much  use  of  their  colts.  They  think  because 
they  are  using  the  brush  system,  that  they  must 
keep  their  colts  right  up  on  their  toes  all  the 
time,  and  they  go  too  far  with  them,  not  stop- 
ping to  consider  the  distance  they  have  been.  If 
they  would  stop  and  figure  the  quarters  they  have 
been,  it  would  often  be  from  a  mile  and  a  half  to 
two  miles  at  speed.  This  would  soon  make  a 
colt  stale  and  tired  of  the  game.     After  three  or 


PREPARING   FOR   TWO-YEAR-OLD    FUTURITIES.  65 

four  weeks  of  the  repeat  work  at  the  brush  sys- 
tem they  can  then  be  given  two  repeats  every 
other  day.  Start  them  at  2 150  and  drop  them 
down  three  or  four  seconds  a  week,  letting  them 
step  the  last  eighth  within  themselves,  but  up 
close  to  their  speed  limit.  Gradually  increase  the 
brush  at  the  finish  of  the  miles  until  they  can  step 
the  last  quarter  fast,  then,  later  on,  increase  the 
fast  brush  to  a  half  mile  and  so  on,  in  the  same 
manner  as  you  would  prepare  an  old  horse  for  a 
race.  I  think  colts  should  be  worked  some  every 
other  day.  or  three  times  a  week,  but  after  they 
can  brush  a  fast  quarter  or  half,  the  fast  work 
should  be  limited  to  about  once  a  week,  going 
the  other  two  workouts  of  that  w^eek  say  in  2  140 
and  2  :35  each  day,  letting  them  step  the  last  part 
of  the  last  heat  up  near  the  limit.  When  you 
get  your  colt  to  within  a  month  of  a  race  he  should 
have  three  heats,  once  each  week,  letting  him  step 
the  last  one  within  five  seconds  of  when  you 
think  he  will  have  to  go,  provided  he  can  do  it  well 
within  himself." 

\y.  H.  Smollinger  writes:  "It  seems  to  me  that 
the  trainers  should  be  able  to  give  more  practical 
information  than  those  who,  like  myself,  can  only 
speak  from  the  experience  gained  by  observation. 
And  yet,  taking  into  consideration  that  you  can 
count,  almost  on  the  fingers  of  one  hand,  the 
trainers  that  have  been  successful  with  colts,  and 
that  their  methods  are  as  manv  and  varied  as  the 


86  CAKE  AND   TKAIXING   OF  TKOTTERS  AND   PACERS. 

religious  denominations,  it  is  doubtful  if  even  they 
can  lay  down  any  hard  and  fast  rules  which  will 
be  of  value.  I  apprehend  that  it  all  depends  on 
the  hand  and  temperament  of  the  driver  and  on 
the  colt  to  be  trained.  Some  years  ago  I  was 
very  much  interested  in  colt  training,  and  took 
advantage  of  every  opportunity  to  observe  and  to 
question  the  successful  colt  trainers.  Only  one, 
a  Kentuckian,  who  had  a  large  measure  of  suc- 
cess with  colts,  gave  anything  like  an  answer  to 
my  question  'What  is  the  best  way  to  train  colts?' 
'Train  'em  like  aged  horses,  sir,'  he  said.  In 
answer  to  my  inquiry  if  such  a  method  did  not 
produce  lameness  he  replied  *Yes,  sir,  but  it  don't 
hurt  'em.'  As  there  seems  to  be  so  many  good 
ways  to  train  colts,  any  method  adopted,  if  it 
happens  to  be  suited  to  the  colt,  is  like  the  old 
lady's  opinion  of  the  doctrine  of  total  depravity — 
*a  good  thing  if  well  lived  up  to.'  J  apprehend  it 
is  after  all  a  question  of  training  the  colt  to  make 
what  he  lacks.  If  it  is  true,  as  I  believe,  that,  ow- 
ing to  our  advance  in  breeding,  'speed  is  born  with 
the  foal'  more  frequently  every  year,  it  may  be 
that  the  mile  on  mile  system,  with  a  good  stiff 
brush  at  the  end,  will  now  produce  more  useful 
colts  than  the  brush  system.  Every  farm  seems 
to  have  an  abundance  of  speed.  We  seem  to  have 
found  or  stumbled  onto  a  way  to  produce  speed. 
Useful  speed  is  now  what  we  want.  For  that 
reason   I  think  the  colt  should  be  in  harness  all 


PREPARING  B^OR  TWO-YEAR-OLD  FUTURITIES.  67 

winter  every  day  to  develo-p  manners  and  muscle, 
if  he  is  to  be  trained  for  the  futurities.  ^Manners 
and  individuahty,  I  believe,  will  mean  more  every 
year.  In  conclusion  I  am  forced  to  admit  that  I 
know  nothing  practical  about  the  matter." 
Peter  Vole,  2:04/2. 
The  present  champion  two-year-old  trotter  is 
Peter  A^olo,  2:04^,  that  trotted  faster  than  any 
three-year-old  trotter  or  pacer  or  any  four-year- 
old  trotter  up  to  his  time.  After  Peter  \'olo  had 
made  his  yearling  record,  he  was  let  down  for  the 
winter  and  sent  back  to  Patchen  Wilkes  Farm. 
On  January  9  of  his  two-year-old  form  he  was 
shipped  to  Thomas  ^^'.  ]^lurphy  at  Poughkeepsie. 
X.  Y.  He  was  carried  along  slowly.  At  Grand 
Rapids,  the  week  before  his  start  in  The  Horse- 
man Futurity,  Murphy  worked  him  a  mile  in 
2:i2->4.  last  half  in  i  :05,  last  quarter  in  -.^1^4,  and 
back  in  2:13^4,  last  half  in  1:04^4,  last  quarter 
in  \^i^2.  The  following  Tuesday  saw  his  first 
futurity.  Adbella  Watts  led  to  the  three-quarters 
in  the  phenomenal  time  of  i  :35-V4.  Peter  \'olo 
then  moved  up  from  trailing  and  carried  her  to 
a  break  and  won  by  five  lengths,  pulled  up,  in 
2  :c<),  a  new  world's  trotting  record  for  his  age 
and  sex.  In  the  second  heat  Murphy  began  to 
drive  from  the  word  "go."  doubtless  hoping  to 
reduce  the  world's  record  of  2:o7^)4»  held  by 
Native  Belle.  He  was  at  the  three-quarters  in 
i-35^-     -"^t  the  head  of  the  stretch,  when  about 


68  CAKE  AND  TRAINING  OF  THOTTKHS  AND   TACEKS. 

15  lengths  in  the  lead,  he  went  to  a  break  on  a 
wet  spot  where  the  sprinkler  had  turned  in  the 
track.  He  soon  caught  and  won  by  ten  lengths 
in  2:10^.  Peter  Volo's  next  start  was  in  the 
Horse  Breeder  Futurity  at  Salem  on  August  20. 
On  account  of  heavy  track  Murphy  made  no 
effort  to  step  a  fast  mile.  In  the  first  heat,  while 
Peter  Volo  was  leading  in  the  stretch,  Airdale 
came  up  very  fast.  IMurphy  sat  still,  thinking  he 
had  the  heat  won,  but  Airdale  was  coming  faster 
than  Murphy  judged  and,  before  he  realized  it. 
he  had  lost  the  heat  in  2:15^.  Peter  Volo  won 
the  next  two  heats  easily  in  2:12^  and  2:143^, 
although  he  made  a  break  in  the  first  turn  in  the 
second  heat.  The  next  start  was  in  The  Horse 
Review  Futurity  at  Columbus,  O.,  on  September 
25.  Peter  Volo  showed  slightly  lame  in  warming 
up  (some  hidden  trouble  in  front).  He  won  both 
heats  off  in  front  in  2  :o6j4  and  2 107,  although 
Alma  Forbes  or  Lady  Wanetka  was  after  him  all 
the  way.  The  last  start  of  the  year  was  in  the 
Kentucky  Futurity.  In  the  first  heat  Lucile  Spier 
led  to  the  three-eights  but  made  a  break,  and 
from  there  on  Peter  Volo  was  never  headed,  win- 
ning in  2:09^4-  Lady  Wanetka  made  him  trot  the 
last  quarter  in  31 M  seconds  and  the  two  went 
under  the  wire,  a  half  length  apart,  in  better  than 
a  two  minute  gait.  In  the  second  heat  Peter  \'olo 
went  out  for  a  record  and  was  never  headed  in 
2:04^,  although  Lady  Wanetka  moved  up  along- 


PREPARING  FOR  TWO-YEAR-OLD  FUTURITIES.  69 

side  him  at  the  three-quarters  in  i  :^t,.  Peter 
\'olo  was  given  very  little  fast  work  between 
races. 

Native    Belle,   2:0734. 

The  champion  two-year-old  filly  is  Xative 
Belle  2  :o7%  that  took  her  record  in  the  second 
heat  of  the  Kentucky  Futurity  on  Oct.  6,  1909, 
at  Lexington,  Ky.,  driven  by  Thomas  W.  Murphy. 
She  was  perhaps  the  most  wonderful  two-year 
old  that  had  then  shown.  She  reduced  by  three 
full  seconds  the  mark  of  Arion,  against  time,  that 
had  stood  for  18  years.  She  was  born  great 
because  she  was  not  broken  till  April,  only  six 
months  previous  to  her  great  performance.  She 
had  showm  fast  beside  a  pony  the  previous  winter, 
however.  Murphy  went  slow^  in  her  training  at 
first,  so  as  not  to  spoil  her,  yet  by  the  last  of 
July  he  worked  her  a  mile  in  2  123.  About  Sept. 
15  she  was  worked  in  2:1434,  last  half  in  i  :04^. 
The  next  week  she  was  w^orked  in  2\i^y^.  The 
following  week  she  started  in  her  first  futurity 
and  won  in  2:13%  and  2:1214,  equaling,  in  the 
last  heat,  the  tw^o-year-old  trotting  race  record  of 
her  day.  She  stepped  the  final  quarter  of  this 
heat,  against  a  wind,  in  31%  seconds.  In  the 
Kentucky  Futurity  she  won  the  first  heat  in 
2:1234  and  was  then  sent  for  a  w^orld's  record  in 
the  second  heat.  She  made  the  quarters  in  :33, 
131,   :3i   (middle  half  in  1:02)  and  13224. 


70         CARE  AND  TRAINING  OF  TROTTERS  AND  PACERS. 

Arion,  2:1034. 

The  previous  two-year-old  record,  as  has  been 
mentioned,  was  held  by  Arion.  His  mile  was  in 
2:10%,  made  to  high-wheels  (no  ball-bearings) 
against  time,  on  Nov.  10,  1891,  over  the  Stockton, 
Calif.,  kite-shaped  track,  driven  by  Charles  Mar- 
vin. Samuel  Gamble  once  wrote  that  Arion  fin- 
ished this  mile  strong,  while  Palo  Alto  and  Stam- 
boul  finished  theirs,  over  the  same  track,  "like 
drunken  sailors."  Gamble  timed  Arion  in  a  race 
an  eighth  in  14^  seconds  and  three-eighths  in  \j[y. 
Arion  wore  a  peculiar  six-ounce  shoe  in  front, 
when  he  made  his  two-year-old  record.  On  the 
inside  from  the  middle  of  the  toe  to  half  way 
down  the  side,  the  shoe  was  wider  and  heavier 
than  elsewhere.  Marvin  was  of  the  opinion  that 
this  side-weight  shoe  kept  Arion  from  brushing 
his  knees  and  arms.  Incidentally  Arion  wore  al- 
most all  the  boots  in  the  catalogue  in  this  record 
performance,  except  elbow  boots.  The  quarter 
time  of  the  record  mile  as  reported  in  "The 
Horseman,"  was  :33J'^,  31  (the  fastest  quarter 
on  the  track),  :33,^/^,  '•Z'^Va  (this  quarter  was 
slightly  up  hill). 

Justice  Brooke,  2:09!/2. 

The  first  two-year-old  trotting  colt  to 
lower  Arion's  record,  was  Justice  Brooke, 
2:09^,  that  took  his  record  October  5,  1910, 
as  did  Native  Belle,  in  the  second  heat  of 
a     winning     Kentucky     Futurity.       He     was     a 


PREPARING  FOR   TWO-YEAR-OLD  FUTURITIES.  71 

late  foal  (June  2).  He  was  broken  in  the 
fall  of  his  yearling  form  by  Dromore  Farm  Su- 
perintendent, A.  B.  Scott.  On  March  i  of  his 
two-year-old  form  he  was  turned  over  to  Roy 
Miller,  who  then  began  his  duties  as  farm  trainer. 
He  was  jogged  on  the  road  till  March  25.  Then 
he  was  brushed  on  the  covered  speedway  at  the 
farm,  in  connection  with  road  work  until  April 
10.  The  next  day  he  was  given  his  first  mile  over 
the  farm  half  mile  track.  The  diary  of  his  work- 
outs (and  a  diary  is  a  good  thing  to  keep  on  all 
colts)  and  races  is  kindly  furnished  us  by  Mr. 
Miller. 

April  11—3:40,  3:20,   quarter  In   :44. 

April  14—3:28,   2:59M;,   quarter  in    :43. 

May  4 — (Rainy  weather,  jogged) — Slow  mile  and  repeat. 

May  7—3:10.    2:55.    2:56. 

May  10—2:56,  2:4Syo.  quarter  In   :38V>. 

May  13— 2:52^,.  2:48yo,  2:42y2,  quarter  in   :38. 

May  17—2:58,  2:45y2. 

May  20—2:54    (rain). 

May  24 — Brushed  in  soeedway   (rain). 

May  27—2:50,   2:43%,'  2:45. 

May  31 — Brushed  in  speedway    (rain). 

June  4—2:30,   3:10.  2:43. 

June  9—2:56.   2:46.  2:40Vo,   quarter  In    :37y2. 

June  13— 2:.52,   2:45,   2:42. 

June  15—2:59,    2:51%. 

June  17—2:46.   2:35V2.   2:35%.   quarter   in    :37. 

June  23 — Shipped   to  mile  track   at   Detroit. 

June  28—2:51,  2:36,  2:34y.,  quarter  In    :35. 

June  30— 2:46y2,  2:36%.  2:28%,  half  1:13%,  quarter   :3K. 

July  6 — 2:49.   2:35,    2:25y2,    quarter   in    :35%. 

July  11—2:47%.   2:36^.. 

July  14—2:47,  2:34.  2:29Mi.  2:26%,  half  1:09%,  quarter   :33%. 

July  18—2:47,   2:33. 

July  20— 2:45yo,   2:30.   2:20yo.   quarter  In    :33ya. 

July  23—2:48,  2:34.  2:36. 

July  26—2:49,   2:36,   2:34%.   quarter  in    :34. 

July  28—2:45.   2:30.   2:21.   2:18%,   half  1:08%,   quartor    :33. 

August  1—2:47.  2:32.  quarter  in   :34. 

August  4— 2:44y2,   2:34,   2:23    (half   1:08.   quarter    :33).   2:24. 

August  5 — Shipped  to  Goshen.   N.   Y.     Rain. 

August  12—2:55,   2:40.   2:26,   2:28%,   half  l:liy2. 

Aueust  14—2:48,   2:33.   2:24^,^. 

August  IS— First  start  won  in  2:??%,   2:26%. 

August  22—2:48.  2:35^^.   2;34yo. 

August  25 — Shipped  to  Detroit. 

August  29— 2:47yn,   2:.34%,   2:28%.   quarter  in    :34%. 


CARE  AND   TKAIXIXG   OF  TROTTERS  AND   PACERS. 


September  1—8:45%,  2:33,  2:20,  2:23,  half  l:07y2,  quarter  :31%. 
September  7— (Rain  between)— 2:43,  2:30,  2:20,  2:15%,   ^4  in   :33V4- 
September  10 — 2:49,  2:34%. 

September  13—2:40,  2:2Sy2,  2:161/.    (i/o,   1:041^;   %,    :31%),  2:151/2. 
September  17—2:50.  2:37. 

September  19— Second  start  won  In  2:27%,  2:22i4. 
September  21 — Shipped  to  Columbus.   Ohio. 
September  23-2:42,  2:29,  2:21,  2:19y2,  quarter  in   iSOVa, 
September  24— Third   start.    1-2-2  in  2:14%,   2:09%,   2:lli/2. 
September  30 — Shipped  to  Lexington   (delayed  in  shipping). 
Octi  ber  3— 2:43.    2:28i/o.    quarter   in    :35y2. 
October  5— Fourth   start,    won   in   2:liy2,   2:09 1/2. 
October  10— 2:4iy2.   2:271/.. 
October  13—2:45,  2:401/.. 
October  17 — Shipped  home. 

October  19 — Shoes  off  and  retired  for  season.  Shoes  weighed  5% 
ounces  forward,  3  ounces  behind. 

Axtell,  2:23. 
The  two-year-old  training  of  Axtell,  a  cham- 
pion two-year-old  trotting  stallion,  on  both  mile 
and  half-mile  tracks,  was  rather  peculiar,  and  will 
doubtless  be  of  interest.  He  was  driven  to  a 
record  of  2:23  at  Lexington,  Ky.,  Oct.  8,  1888, 
by  C.  W.  Williams.  The  following  is  an  excerpt 
from  Mr.  Williams'  own  story  from  the  Christ- 
mas number  of  "The  Horseman"  in  1889: 

"Some  time  between  March  1st  and  15th  he  was  taken  up  and 
Jogged  from  four  to  six  miles  a  day.  It  will  be  hard  for  any  one  to 
believe  that  he  could  be  made  to  eat  the  amount  of  feed  given  him 
during  March  and  April:  as,  think  of  a  two-year-old  being  fed 
live  quarts  of  oats,  two  of  bran,  two  of  carrots,  and  three  or  four 
e-.'TS  of  corn,  ihree  times  a  day.  and  all  the  coarse  feed  he  would  eat. 
This  is  not  exaggerated  in  the  least.  As  the  weather  became  warmer 
he  was  fed  less,  but  could  not.  at  this  time,  trot  a  quarter  in  less 
than  a  minute,  while  I  am  informed  Sunol  could,  at  that  time,  go  the 
same  distance  in  thirty-five  seconds.  Up  to  this  time  I  had  driven 
Axtell  but  a  few  times,  but  as  the  man  that  had  been  jogging  him 
was  sent  to  Michigan  with  some  mares,  I  took  him  to  work.  At 
first  I  wa.s  not  pleased  with  the  way  he  drove,  as  he  was  stubborn, 
and  wanted  to  have  his  own  way  a  little  too  much  to  suit  me. 

"After  driving  him  two  or  three  times  I  became  disgusted,  and 
one  day  struck  him  rather  sharply  with  the  whip.  He  squared  away 
and  went  straight  far  enough  and  fast  enough  to  convince  me  he 
would  make  a  trotter  if  I  developed  him  as  I  should.  Up  to  this 
time  I  had  never  worked  a  colt  that  could  trot  in  3:00,  did  not  know 
how  others  worked  their  colts,  and  the  only  thing  for  me  to  do  was 
to  use  what  little  common  sense  nature  had  given  me. 

"I  had  for  years  been  quite  a  pedestrian,  practicing  a  great  deal 
for  pastime,  and  the  exercise.  I  knew  b.v  experience  how  long  it 
took  to  get  the  muscles  i»  condition  for  hard  work,  and  how  sore 
and  lame  it  made  me  after  any  great  effort,  be  the  distance  ever 
so  short,  and  this  after  I  had  supposed  I  was  in  condition  for  this 
kind  of  work.  I  also  knew  to  have  great  speed  for  a  short  distance 
It  was  necessary  to  cultivate  the  muscles   for  such   efforts,   and   the 


rREPARING    FOR   TWO-YEAR-OLD   FUTURITIES.  73 


oi)]y  way  this  could  be  done  was  to  make  these  great  efforts  every 
two  or  three  days,  but  not  too  often.  I  also  knew  by  experience 
tliat  it  was  necessary  for  me  to  consume  plenty  of  muscle-making 
rood.  In  fact,  I  had  learned  how  to  condition  myself  for  this  kind  of 
work  and  husv  to  take  care  of  myself  after  a  great  effort. 

"After  considerable  thought  I  decided  to  work  Axtell  as  I 
developed  myself  and  see  what  the  result  would  be.  His  road-work 
was  continued,  with  an  occasional  brush  where  the  footing  was  good, 
and  every  time  I  started  him  up  he  could  go  faster  than  he  ever  had 
before.  About  the  20th  of  May  he  was  hitched  to  the  sulky  for  the 
first  time  and  taken  to  the  track.  Up  to  this  time  I  had  no  oppor- 
tunity of  knowing  how  fast  he  could  go,  but  the  first  time  he  was 
moved  to  harness  I  found  he  could  go  an  eighth  in  less  than  0:20. 
That  was  not  very  fast,  still  it  showed  a  big  improvement  over  the 
sfeed  he  had  shown  in  the  fall. 

"Being  pleased  with  the  colt.  I  was  determined  to  do  the  best  I 
could  with  him.  He  only  saw  the  track  about  two  days  in  a  week, 
the  other  days  (he  was  never  harnessed  on  Sunday)  being  set  aside 
for  jogging  on  the  road  for  eight  or  ten  miles  in  an  hour.  He  was 
driven  without  a  check  and  always  in  an  open  bridle.  The  days  he 
was  given  track-work  I  jogged  him  about  three  miles  the  wrong  way 
of  the  track,  then  turned  and  went  the  right  way  about  two  miles, 
and  started  him  up  from  two  to  four  times  in  that  distance.  I 
would  drive  him  about  thirty  or  forty  rods  at  speed,  then  jog  him  a 
short  distance  before  asking  him  for  another  burst  of  speed.  After 
I  thought  him  in  condition  I  drove  him  in  these  brushes  about  as 
fast  as  he  could  go. 

"During  all  this  time  he  was  fed  large  quantities  of  grain  and 
all  the  hay  and  grass  he  would  eat.  About  the  middle  of  July  he 
was  asked  to  go  his  first  half-mile  and  did  it  handily  in  1  :15.  Ten 
days  from  that  time  he  covered  the  same  distance  in  1:12.  About 
August  1st  he  was  driven  a  easy  mile  in  2:3Si'o,  the  first  one  he  had 
ever  gone.  In  this  mile  he  was  brushed  four  or  five  times,  and  the 
rest  of  the  time  only  moved  along  at  about  a  3:00  gait.  This  mile 
was  about  as  fast  as  he  was  driven  in  his  work  in  his  two-year-old 
form,  and  on  August  9th  he  started  at  Keokuk.  Iowa,  in  his  first 
race.  All  of  the  other  starters  were  three-year-olds.  In  the  third 
heat,  over  a  poor  half-mile  track,  he  distanced  the  field  in  2:31%, 
and  the  next  morning  Axtell's  name  appeared  in  the  daily  papers  for 
the  first   time.    Since  that  time  none  has  appeared  as  often." 


CAKE   AND  TRAINING   OF   TUOTTEHS   AND   PACERS. 


Chapter  V — Three-year-olds. 


HE  training  of  three-year-olds 
does  not  differ  greatly  from  that 
of  the  younger  colts  except,  witii 
added  age,  most  youngsters  re- 
quire more  work.  It  has  been 
thought  advisable  to  devote  a 
separate  chapter  to  the  three- 
year-olds,  as  such  a  division  admits  of  a  more  care- 
ful study  of  several  prominent  colts  of  that  age. 
whose  training  will  be  of  interest  to  the  reader. 
If  a  colt  has  been  trained  as  a  yearling,  or  as  a 
two-year-old,  its  training  as  a  three-year-old  will 
be  along  the  lines  previously  written  of,  but  ex- 
tended as,  in  the  opinion  of  the  trainer,  best  suits 
the  individual  case. 

If  a  colt  has  not  been  previously  trained ;  and 
the  owner  desires  to  race  the  colt  as  a  three-year- 
old,  it  will  be  necessary  to  proceed  with  early 
training,  as  previously  set  forth  for  colts  of  a 
younger  age,  except  that  the  education  and  train- 
ing will  have  to  be  rushed  and  crowded  into  a 
shorter  space  of  time. 

To  save  repetition  of  advice  we  will  assume 
that  the  colt  has  been  previously  trained — raced 


as  a 


two-vear-old  if  vou  wish. 


THREE-YEAR-OLDS.  75 

In  the  late  fall  of  its  two-year-old  form,  the 
trainer  must  decide  whether  the  colt  is  to  be 
turned  out.  Some  horsemen  turn  two-year-olds 
out  from  Xovember  i  to  February  i  and  then 
commence  jogging,  while  others  prefer  to  jog  the 
colt  all  winter — each  owner  or  trainer  must  de- 
cide this  point  for  himself. 

The  jogging  will  consist  of  from  three  to  six 
miles  a  day  (trainers'  opinions  differ)  except  Sun- 
day. As  the  jogging  progresses  a  little  brushing 
may  be  indulged  in,  at  the  end  of  the  jog,  if  de- 
sired. About  April  ist  the  trainer  should  begin 
to  work  colts  for  speed.  Some  drivers  start  with 
a  full  mile  in  about  three  minutes,  others  start 
with  half-mile  heats  and  gradually  increase  the 
distance  till  a  mile  is  reached.  Each  succeeding 
work  day  the  colt  is  asked  to  go  a  little  faster  mile, 
but  the  drop  must  be  gradual,  and,  if  the  colt  gets 
to  going  rough  or  bad-gaited,  the  fault  should  be 
corrected,  if  possible,  before  much  more  is  done, 
unless  the  colt  be  one  that  improves  in  gait  as  he 
improves  in  speed.  The  dropping  down  has  to 
be  done  as  the  trainer  thinks  best.  W.  O.  Foote 
says :  "The  more  speed  a  colt  shows  at  this  time 
the  less  fast  work  I  give  him.''  This  is  good  ad- 
vice, for  many  colts  are  made  speed  crazy  .by 
dropping  them  too  fast.  In  some  families  the 
colts  come  to  their  speed  more  quickly  than  oth- 
ers, and,  as  a  consequence,  careless  trainers  have 
militated  against  the  success  of  such  families,  by 


7G  CAKE   AM)   TJ{AI.\IXG    OI'   TKO  T'lKUS   AND   PACERS. 

ruining  colts.  In  addition  to  working  miles,  it  is 
assumed  that  those  who  believe  in  the  brush  sys- 
tem will  make  speed  with  it  as  described  before. 

After  the  colt  has  been  worked  mile  heats,  and 
from  two  weeks  to  two  months  later  (according 
to  individual  judgment,  location,  or  weather),  the 
colt  should  be  worked  two  heat  repeats.  Later, 
say  from  two  to  four  weeks  (by  this  time  it  will 
be  May  or  June)  three  heat  repeats  are  in  order. 
Still  later  most  trainers  work  four  heats,  includ- 
ing the  ''opener,"  but  very  few  go  beyond  that,  as 
most  futurities  are  decided  under  the  2  in  3,  or 
three-heat  system.  In  midsummer,  if  it  is  ex- 
pected to  start  in  the  Kentucky  Futurity  (a  3  in 
5  event)  it  may  be  thought  advisable  to  work  five 
heats. 

It  is  important  that  a  colt  be  worked  in  com- 
pany as  much  as  possible  and  taught  to  trail,  also 
to  come  out  from  behind  and  race  beside  another 
horse  without  trying  to  rush  past. 

Experience    Not   Always   a    Criterion. 

It  would  be  useless  to  go  into  the  minor  de- 
tails of  training  and  working  colts.  No  set  rules 
can  be  laid  down.  If  the  colt  shows  considerable 
speed  he  will  doubtless  be  placed  in  the  hands  of 
an  experienced  trainer.  Experience  even  is  not 
alwavs  a  teacher.  Take,  for  instance,  the  ca^e 
of  Don  Chenault  and  Etawah  in  19 13.  j)on 
Chenault  won  the  Review   futuritv  at  Columbus. 


THKKE-YEAK-OLDS.  T7 

defeating  Etawah.  Two  weeks  later  Etawah 
turned  tables  on  him.  There  are  many  features 
of  interest  in  both  races,  and  about  what  took 
place  between  and  afterwards.  At  Columbus 
Don  Chenault  defeated  Etawah  by  an  eyelash  the 
first  heat.  The  second  and  final  heat  w^as  easily 
won  by  Don  Chenault,  after  an  early  break  had 
put  Etawah  out  of  the  contest.  After  this  race 
Don  Chenault  was  worked  very  little.  Two  weeks 
later  he  started  in  the  Kentucky  Futurity  and 
won  the  first  heat,  off  in  front  all  the  way.  In  the 
second  heat  he  seemed  very  rank,  made  two 
breaks  and  finished  seventh.  In  the  third  heat 
he  became  practically  unmanageable  and  was  dis- 
tanced for  running.  Don  Chenault's  driver  at- 
tributed his  defeat  in  the  Kentucky  Futurity  to 
the  fact  that  the  colt  had  not  been  worked  enough 
between  the  two  races.  He  points  to  the  fact 
that  after  the  Kentucky  Futurity  the  colt  was 
given  a  stiff"  workout  and,  six  days  after  his  de- 
feat, won  the  Championship  stake  in  two  straight 
heats.  As  Etawah  was  not  a  starter  in  this  last 
race  it  cannot  be  brought  into  comparison  with 
the  other  two.  Etawah,  that  had  been  defeated 
at  Columbus  on  September  24,  participated  in  a 
race  against  aged  horses  on  October  4  and  trotted 
five  hard  heats,  finishing  5.  3.  i,  i,  2  in  2:o8y\, 
2:iO;/4,  2:10,  2:095^,  2:13,  and  then  was  drawn, 
as  he  was  becoming  exhausted,  and  the  Kentucky 
classic  was  in  mind.     In  the  Kentuckv  Futuritv 


78  CARE  AND  TRAINING  OF  TROTTERS  AND  PACERS. 

Etawah  was  a  sorry  looking  spectacle.  After  Don 
Qienault  had  won  a  heat  in  2:05^,  and  Peter 
Johnston  one  in  2:08^,  Etawah  was  the  freshest 
horse  in  the  race  and  won  the  next  three  heats 
handily  in  2:08^)4^  2:10,  and  2:12.  The  driver 
of  Etawah,  who  had  been  criticised  for  giving  his 
colt  so  much  work  between  futurities  (the  same 
people  criticised  the  driver  of  Don  Chenault  for 
not  doing  the  same  thing!)  is  of  the  opinion  that 
the  hard  work  between  the  two  futurities  put 
Etawah  "on  edge,"  as  the  saying  goes,  for  the  big 
race.  Others  believe  that  Etawah  won  on  his 
gameness  and  would  have  won  without  such 
harsh  treatment.  A.nd  so  we  say,  even  experi- 
ence is  not  an  indisputed  criterion  for  training 
colts. 

Henry  M.  Jones  writes :  "Three-year-olds 
should  be  taken  up  not  later  than  February  i 
and  jogged  five  to  six  miles  a  day,  except  Sun- 
day. One  should  start  to  work  heats  not  later 
than  April  i,  starting  with  miles  every  other  day 
in  three  minutes  and  dropping  down.  If  colt 
has  shown  speed  in  its  two-year-old  form  it  can 
be  dropped  down  to  2  145  in  two  weeks.  I  brush 
an  eighth  away  from  the  wire  and  an  eighth  home. 
In  two  weeks  from  the  time  of  working  heats 
the  colt  should  be  given  two  heat  repeats,  and 
from  two  to  four  weeks  later  three  heat  repeats, 
first  mile  in  2  '.40,  last  two  in  2 135  or  2  130,  with 
first  and  last  quarters  in  35  seconds.     When  the 


THREE-YEAR-OLDS. 


colt  has  been  dropped  down  to  2 :2o,  brush  it  to 
the  half  in  one  heat  and  then  home  from  the  half 
in  the  other  fast  heat,  but  rating  the  slow  half  so 
both  miles  will  be  practically  the  same.  Finally 
the  colt  may  be  worked  four  heats,  the  first  an 
opener,  the  second  mediumly  fast,  and  the  last 
two  the  fastest  but  in  about  the  same  notch. 
Never  allow  the  colt  to  slow  up  immediately  after 
passing  the  wire.  I  trained  Waverly,  p.,  2  104 >4 
( which  I  drove  a  quarter  in  28  seconds  as  a  three- 
year-old),  Maggie  Winder  (3,  p.),  2:o6>^,  and 
Fleeta  Americus  (3),  p.,  2  :09>^,  in  this  manner." 
W.  O.  Foote,  who  trains  in  Texas,  writes : 
"The  colt  should  be  taken  up  the  fall  or  winter 
before  he  is  three  years  old  and  jogged  three  to 
five  miles  a  day,  Sunday  excepted.  In  March 
start  working  half  mile  heats  and  gradually  in- 
crease to  a  mile.  The  time  of  these  heats  depends 
on  speed  shown.  The  more  speed  a  colt  shows, 
the  less  fast  work  it  should  have.  No  two  colts 
are  alike,  so  cannot  give  any  advice  about  drop- 
ping them  down.  Two  heat  repeats  may  com- 
mence in  April  in  a  warm  climate,  then  three 
heats  in  May.  Four  heats  are  plenty.  A  very 
important  thing  in  educating  colts  is  their  shoeing 
and  balancing.  Unless  this  is  done  carefully  and 
correctly  it  will  be  almost  impossible  to  win  a 
futurity.  Colts  should  be  shod  as  lightly  as  pos- 
sible, and,  as  a  rule,  with  as  short  feet 
as   possible.      The   balancing   of   a   colt    depends 


80  CAKE  AND   TRAINING   OF   TKOTTEKS  AND   PACEKS. 

largely  on  the  proper  angle  of  his  feet.  He 
should  also  be  taught  to  go  on  as  light  a  line  as 
possible,  but,  of  course,  all  will  not  do  this.  Colts 
should  be  taught  to  trail  other  horses  and  work 
beside  them  without  wanting  to  rush  by  as  fast 
as  to  cause  them  to  break  or  trot  themselves  out 
before  the  end  of  a  mile.  Colts  do  better  with  an 
occasional  let  up  of  a  week  or  ten  days  and  jogged 
every  day  or  turned  in  a  paddock  to  exercise  them- 
selves. I  never  work  my  colts  miles  as  fast  as  they 
will  go.  Governor  Francis'  fastest  workout  as  a 
three-year-old  was  in  2:1414,  yet  he  trotted  in 
2:iij4,  2:111/2,  2:1214 — the  fastest  three  heats 
trotted  by  a  three-year-old  stallion  until  1913. 
The  Climax's  fastest  workout  as  a  three-year-old 
was  in  2  :i2^,  yet  he  paced  in  2  lO/  in  a  race." 

Sam  J.  Fleming  writes :  "Futurity  prospects 
should  be  jogged  three  to  six  miles  daily  all  win- 
ter after  two-year-old  training  or  campaigning. 
Start  to  work  mile  in  three  minutes  and  drop 
down  slowly  to  2  :40.  Then  30  to  60  days  later 
start  repeating.  The  trainer  will  have  to  use  his 
own  judgment  from  here  on.  Baroness  Virginia 
(3),  2:0814,  was  worked  in  2:1754  as  a  two-year- 
old  and  could  have  trotted  in  2:15  or  better.  As 
a  three-year-old  she  was  not  worked  faster  than 
2  :26y2,  and  was  raced  into  condition  over  the  half- 
mile  tracks,  beating  the  half-mile  track  record 
for  her  age.  At  Indianapolis,  in  the  Western 
Horseman  Futurity,  she  trotted  four  heats  around 


THREE-YEAR-OLDS. 


2:15.  At  Columbus  the  next  week  ^Murphy 
worked  her  in  2:14  and  2:io>4  and  won  the  Stock 
Farm  Futurity  around  2:10  three  times.  At  Lex- 
ington he  worked  her  two  heats  around  2:15  and 
then  won  the  Kentucky  Futurity.  All  together 
she  had  less  than  20  heats  better  than  2  :2o,  in- 
cluding all  her  work  and  races.  In  my  opinion 
colts  need  to  be  kept  fresh.  They  should  not 
have  too  many  miles,  but  plenty  of  speed  making 
and  conditioning.  They  will  race  with  this  work 
if  game,  and  if  not  game  no  amount  of  staying- 
up  will  get  them  to  Futurity  form." 

Champion   Three-Year-Olds. 

Let  us  conclude  our  chapter  with  a  consideration 
of  the  champion  three-year-olds.  The  present 
champion  is  Peter  \^olo,  2  :03>{',  trained  and  driven 
in  his  two  and  three-year-old  forms  by  T.  W. 
Murphy.  Previous  to  Peter  A^olo  came  Colo- 
rado E.,  2:04^,  trained  and  driven  by  Guss 
Alacey.  The  preceding  champion  was  General 
Watts,  2:0634.  trained  and  driven  by  ^like  Bow- 
erman.  Previous  to  that  was  Fantasy,  2:08^, 
trained  and  driven  by  Ed.  F.  Geers.  Pre- 
vious to  that  was  Sunol,  2:io>^,  trained  and 
driven  by  the  late  Charles  Marion.  Previous  to 
that  was  Axtell,  2:12,  bred,  owned,  trained  and 
driven  by  C.  W.  Williams,  practically  an  ama- 
teur at  the  time.  This  takes  us  back  to  1889, 
beyond   which   there   is   little   to  be   learned   that 


82  CAKE  AND  TRAINING   OF  TKOTTEUS   AND   PACERS. 

would    be   of   interest   or    benefit   to   present-day 
horsemen. 

Peter  Volo  2:03!/2. 

Peter  Volo  was  the  first  trotter  to  obtain  world's 
champion  records  at  one,  two  and  three  years  of 
age.  We  have  previously  described  his  training 
as  a  yearling  and  two-year-old.  As  a  three-year- 
old  he  was  trained  on  the  brush  system  at  Pough- 
keepsie,  N.  Y.,  along  with  the  rest  of  Murphy's 
horses.  On  July  lo,  the  day  before  shipping  away 
to  the  races,  Peter  Volo  was  worked  a  mile  in  com- 
pany in  2:14,  last  quarter  in  31  seconds.  We  do 
not  know  what  work  he  received  before  his  first 
futurity  start  except  that  he  had  been  one  mile 
in  about  2  :o7^. 

Peter  A'olo's  first  three-year-old  race  was  The 
Horseman  $10,000  Futurity,  decided  at  Kala- 
mazoo, Mich.,  on  Aug.  12.  Although  he  was  start- 
ing against  five  three-year-olds  that  had  already 
raced  around  2  lO/,  and  had  not  worked  any  faster 
himself,  he  was  a  top-heavy  favorite  in  the  pools. 
Peter  Volo  won  in  straight  heats,  time  2:04^4, 
2:05^,  2:06^.  This  was  at  the  time  the  fastest 
three  heats  trotted  by  a  stallion  of  any  age,  lower- 
ing The  Harvester's  record,  although  the  three- 
heat  stallion  record  was  further  reduced  later  in 
the  season  by  Etawah. 

The  first  heat  in  the  1914  Horseman  Futurity 
was  a  wonderful  duel.  Peter  \"olo  and  Lee  Ax- 
worthv   raced   to  the   half  in    1:01.     The   former 


THREE-YEAR-OLDS.  83 

pulled  away  in  the  next  eighth  and  then,  having 
the  held  at  his  mercy,  almost  jogged  in.  Even  so 
he  reached  the  three-quarter  pole  at  a  2 103  gait 
and,  although  he  only  trotted  the  final  quarter  at 
a  2:10  gait,  he  passed  under  the  wire  in  2:04%, 
equalling  the  world's  three-year-old  record  of 
Colorado  E,  which  was  made  two  months  later  in 
the  season.     The  next  two  heats  were  easier. 

At  Hartford,  Sept.  10,  over  a  slow  track,  Peter 
Volo  won  the  $5,000  Alatron  Stake  easily  in  2  113^ 
and  2:17^.  He  was  eligible  to  the  Western 
Horseman  Futurit}-  but,  owing  to  a  conflict  in 
dates,  could  not  start. 

At  Columbus,  Sept.  26,  Peter  \'olo  won  the 
$8,000  Horse  Review  Futurity  in  a  jog;  time 
2:07^  and  2:o8}i.  The  following  week,  Sept. 
30,  over  the  same  track,  he  had  another  easy  vic- 
tory in  the  American  Horse  Breeder  $6,000  Fu- 
turity, time  2:09^  and  2:09^. 

In  the  $14,000  Kentucky  Futurity,  at  Lexing- 
ton. Oct.  6,  Peter  A'olo  sulked  a  bit  and  Murphy 
had  to  shake  him  up  the  first  heat  to  beat  Lee 
Axworthy  in  2:0754-  The  second  heat  was  easier 
in  2  :o5,  while  in  the  third  heat  the  colt  seemed 
entirely  thawed  out  and  won  off  in  front  in 
2:03^,  a  new  world's  three-year-old  record,  and 
he  could  have  trotted  faster. 

It  was  intended  to  step  him  to  his  limit  the  fol- 
lowing week  in  the  $7,500  Stallion  Stake,  a  2  in  3 
event,  but  a  succession  of  rainy  days  necessitated 


84  CAKE  AND   TItAIXIXG   OF   TKOTTEKS  AND   PACERS. 

the  declaring  off  of  the  program.  In  the  distribu- 
tion of  the  purse  Peter  Volo  was  awarded  first 
money  by  consent  of  the  other  starters. 

Peter  Volo's  winnings  as  a  two  and  three-year- 
old  totalled  $42,546. 

Thomas  W.  Murphy,  driver  of  Peter  A'olo,  is 
one  of  the  most  taciturn  and  reticent  of  all  reins- 
men,  especially  has  he  been  so  in  recent  years 
when,  as  the  leading  money  winning  driver,  he  is 
being  constantly  bothered  with  questions  from  bet- 
tors looking-  for  information  about  the  condition 
of  horses  he  is  going  to  race,  but  to  his  friends, 
when  asked  about  Peter  \'olo,  he  became  almost 
loquacious  and  would  expatiate  on  the  greatness 
of  his  three-year-old. 

"He  is  the  greatest  trotter  the  world  has  ever 
seen,"  Murphy  said  to  the  writer,  after  winning 
The  Horseman  Futurity.  "Driving  him  is  like 
running  an  automobile.  If  you  want  him  to  go 
fast  he  will  go  fast,  if  you  want  him  to  go  slow  he 
will  go  slow.  He  can  change  from  one  speed  to 
another  without  missing  a  step.  His  round  fric- 
tionless  action  in  front  is  simply  marvelous.  When 
I  drive  him  I  imagine  he  is  running  on  a  wheel  in 
front  that  just  keeps  rolling  on  and  rolling  on. 
You  know  what  most  trotters  will  do  while  going 
at  a  high  rate  of  speed  if  you  attempt  to  take  them 
back — they  will  roll  and  toss  and  hop  and  hitch, 
but  I  can  talk  Volo  back  from  a  two  minute  clip 
to  a  2:10  shot  without  observing  the  least  rough- 


THREE-YEAR-OLDS.  85 

ness  in  his  stride.  He  will  just  slow  up  naturally 
like  a  good  horse  does  that  has  just  finished  a  fast 
mile.  I  never  felt  so  safe  behind  any  other  horse 
in  my  life.  He  takes  just  the  right  hold  of  the  bit. 
it  is  a  leather  one  by  the  way,  and  does  not  pull  an 
ounce.  I  never  saw  a  horse  gaited  exactly  like  him. 
He  is  almost  a  line  trotter,  except  for  being  a  trifle 
wide  behind,  still  he  goes  straight  behind,  that  is  he 
is  not  what  is  called  passing  gaited.  He  is  even 
better  gaited  than  last  year.  He  carries  less  weight, 
no  toes  weights,  and  has  narrowed  up  behind.  I 
wouldn't  know  where  to  improve  him  a  particle 
even  if  I  could  do  so.  He  is  a  perfect  horse.  Id^e 
doesn't  know  a  thing  but  trot.  He  is  a  good  feeler. 
a  good  eater,  and  one  of  those  kind  that  doesn't 
care  whether  school  keeps  or  not,  and  game  to  the 
core.  He  is  the  only  trotter  I  ever  had  that  T  didn't 
have  to  make  speed  with.  I  like  to  brush  my  horses 
occasionally  at  somewhere  near  their  limit,  but  I 
have  never  dared  to  do  that  with  Peter  \V)lo.  He 
could  always  trot  faster  than  I  wanted  him  to  in 
any  workout.  In  the  spring  if  I  wanted  a  quarter 
in  32  seconds  he  gave  it  to  me.  if  1  thought  he  was 
ready  for  one  in  31  seconds  he  was  ready  too,  and 
so  it  went."  Peter  A^olo  wore  no  toe  weights  at 
Kalamazoo  but  a  pair  were  used  on  him  later  in 
the  season. 

As  a  three-year-old  Peter  \^olo  wore  a  9  ounce 
plain  shoe  with  double  crease  toe  and  a  3  ounce  toe 
weight  r.nd  rubber  pads  in  front  and  a  4^2  ounce 


86  CARE  AND  TRAINING  OF  TROTTERS  AND  PACERS. 

swedge  shoe  with  trailing  heels  behind.  The  length 
of  his  front  feet  was  3%  inches,  angle  48  degrees ; 
length  of  hind  feet  3^  inches,  angle  53  degrees. 
He  wore  a  two-minute  harness  with  traces  added, 
standing  martingale,  blind  bridle,  leather  bit  and 
plain  overdraw  check.  His  front  boot  equipment 
was  a  pair  of  rubber  bell  boots,  cotton  and 
bandages.  Behind  he  wore  shin-and-ankle  boots 
with  speedy-cut  attachments  and  scalpers. 
Colorado  E.,  2:04^. 
Colorado  E  was  sensational  as  a  yearling  and 
was  driven  a  quarter  at  that  age  in  :33>^  by 
W.  W.  Evans.  This  resulted  in  the  colt's 
sale  to  Geo.  H.  Estabrook  for  $5,000.  Colt  was 
then  turned  over  to  Guss  Macey.  As  a  two-year- 
old  the  colt  sprung  a  curb  and  could  not  be 
worked  properly,  yet  in  the  Kentucky  Futurity 
he  was  second  to  the  great  Native  Belle,  2:07^. 
After  the  Futurity,  Colorado  E.  was  turned  out  at 
Lexington.  He  was  taken  up  December  i  and 
shipped  to  Denver.  His  jogging  began  on  his 
arrival  in  Colorado.  He  was  jogged  about  four 
miles  a  day,  except  Sunday,  until  March  i,  when 
he  was  double-headed  miles  in  from  3:15  to  3:00 
every  other  day  through  March.  By  April  i  he 
had  worked  a  mile  in  2  135  and  was  dropped  down 
about  3  seconds  a  week.  In  April  Macey  began 
giving  him  two-heat  workouts,  twice  a  week.  By 
May  I  he  had  been  in  about  2 :2o.  During  this 
month  he  was  given  two  heats  the   first  of  the 


THREE-YEAR-OLDS.  87 

week  and  three  heats  the  last  of  the  week.  By 
June  I  he  had  been  in  2:15.  On  June  14  al 
Detroit  he  worked  in  2:11.  At  Grand  Rapids, 
on  July  22,  he  won  easily  in  2:12^  and  2:12^4. 
At  Kalamazoo,  on  July  29,  driven  by  Reamey 
Macey,  young  son  of  Guss,  he  worked  a  mile  in 
2:o6>4  or  a  half  second  faster  than  the  world's 
record,  last  half  in  1:01  >^,  third  quarter  in  30 
seconds.  At  Cleveland  he  worked  in  2  :o7^  and 
2 :075/2-  At  Empire  City,  in  his  second  start  of 
the  year,  the  Matron  Stake,  he  won  easily  in 
2:o7j4>  2:07^,  the  fastest  tw^o  heats  trotted  by  a 
three-year-old  up  to  that  time.  At  Boston  he 
won  the  Horse  Breeder  Futurity  pulled  up  in 
2:o6j/^  and  2:07%.  At  Syracuse  he  won  the 
Horse  World  futurity  in  2:1314,  2:0814.  At  Co- 
lumbus he  won  the  Stock  Farm  futurity  in  2  :o8^ 
and  2:05  ^4-  I"  the  Kentucky  Futurity  every- 
body was  out  to  beat  him,  and  here  he  suffered 
his  only  defeat.  In  his  final  start,  the  Kentucky 
stake,  he  won  in  2  :ii>4  and  2:04^,  a  new  world's 
record.  His  winnings  for  the  year  were  $19,- 
790.25.  Colorado  E  was  a  large  rangy  colt,  with 
a  sweeping  yet  frictionless  stride,  which  enabled 
him  to  cover  ground  in  a  deceiving  manner. 

Colorado  E.  wore  four  ounce  square  toe  plain 
shoes  all  around,  very  light  close-fitting  quarter 
boots  in  front,  ankle  and  speedy-cutting  boots  be- 
hind, two-minute  harness,  blind  bridle,  snaffle  bit, 
and  Crabb  overcheck  bit. 


SS  CAKE  AND   TltAIXlXlJ    OF   TItOTTEKS   AND   I'ACEKS. 

General  Watts,  2:06^. 
General  Watts  was  trained  lightly  as  a  two- 
year-old  by  Harold  Childs  and  given  a  time  rec- 
ord of  2\2'jy2.  He  was  then  the  property  of 
Senator  J.  W.  Bailey  and  Gen.  C.  C.  Watts. 
Shortly  thereafter  he  became  the  exclusive  prop- 
erty of  the  latter  gentleman,  who  placed  him  in 
the  hands  of  Mike  Bowerman  on  March  i8,  1907. 
The  colt  was  thin  and  weak,  following  a  severe 
illness,  and  was  naturally  small  in  size,  so  his 
training  was  done  carefully,  yet  he  made  speed 
fast.  He  was  jogged  until  May  i,  then  was  given 
slow  repeats  from  2  40  to  2 130^  twice  a  week. 
Around  July  i  he  showed  a  mile  in  2:15^.  At 
Cleveland,  Aug.  i,  in  his  first  start,  he  was  in- 
terfered with  in  the  first  heat  and  was  5-4  in 
2:i3>4  and  2:11^.  At  Readville,  on  Aug.  20, 
in  the  Horse  Breeder  futurity,  he  won  in  2  :09J4 
(middle  half  in  i:oi)4)  and  2:09}^,  lowering 
the  three-year-old  stallion  record  of  2:10}^,  held 
by  Arion.  In  the  Stock  Farm  futurity  at  Co- 
lumbus he  led  to  the  half  in  i  \02y2,  but  was 
beaten  by  Kentucky  Todd  in  2:0834,  which 
equaled  the  world's  record  held  by  Fantasy.  Gen. 
Watts  seemed  to  tire  and  was  only  fifth  the  next 
heat  in  2'ii.  Mr.  Bowerman  attributed  his  de- 
feat to  lack  of  work.  Ihe  race  seemed  to  leg 
him  up  and  the  next  week,  at  Columbus,  he  won 
the  Review  futurity  in  2:11,  2  1095^  and  2:09^, 
losing  the  third  heat.     At  Lexington  he  won  the 


THREE-YEAR-OLDS.  89 

Kentucky  futurity  over  a  slow  track  in  2:12^, 
2:1 1^4  and  2:11.  The  cecond  week  at  Lexington 
he  trotted  the  first  heat  in  2:06^  (last  half  in 
I  :0234 — lowering  the  world's  record  by  two  sec- 
onds) and  2:09^4.  His  year's  winnings  were 
over  $20,000  and  he  retired  sound.  The  follow- 
ing is  quoted  from  Mike  Bowerman's  account  of 
the  training  of  Gen.  Watts,  which  appeared  in 
the  Horse  Review  of  December  17,  1907: 

As  to  any  system  of  training  colts,  I  have  none.  I  train  horses 
differently  from  any  other  man  that  I  ever  saw  train.  After  I 
thought  I  had  Gen.  Watts  thoroughly  seasoned,  I  did  less  jogging 
tlian  any  one  generally  does.  1  went  t'^  the  track  less  than  al- 
most any  one  else  goes.  If  I  can  get  out  on  ihe  road  I  care  little 
al'oul  the  track,  only  for  speeding  purposes.  After  getting  him  into 
condition  I  would  work  out  Gen.  Watts  twice  a  week;  ^ood  fast 
miles,  rated  all  the  way,  not  driving  him  any  fast  quarters  or 
eighths.  After  I  drove  him  a  mile  in  2:15H.  which,  my  recul 
lection  is,  was  some  time  the  first  part  of  July,  I  began  to  teach 
him  to  get  away  from  the  wire  fast;  after  going  about  an 
eighth  taking  him  back  and  stepping  the  last  eighth  at  the  end 
of  a  mile.  I  have  seen  trainers  go  out  to  work  their  horses,  it 
being  what  they  called  "work  out  day"  for  certain  ones.  Possibly 
the  horse,  for  some  unknown  reason,  would  not  work  as  well  as 
he  had  at  other  times.  Then  the  trainer  would  whip  him  and 
run  him  and  say,  "Well.  I  will  work  him  another  heat;  I  will 
make  him  worse  or  better."  I  never  do  that.  When  I  start  to 
work  a  horse  and  he  does  not  act  right,  I  take  him  to  the  stable, 
for  it  is  a  sure  thing  that  there  is  something  wrong  with  him.  and 
he  not  being  able  to  talk.  I  will  wait  and  see  what  the  trouble  is 
or  was.  I  use  less  bandages  than  any  one,  I  use  no  body  wash 
at  all,  nothing  in  the  way  it  is  mostly  used.  In  short  I  trained 
General  Watts  as  I  do  all  other  horses  in  my  charge.  Trained  him 
when    he   felt   good,   if   it   was   his   time   to   work. 

As  to  what  shoes  he  wore  and  the  angle  of  his  feet,  he  wore  a 
bar  shoe  in  front,  weighting  6^^  ounces,  with  3-ounce  quarter  boot, 
the  angle  of  his  foot  Ijeing  47  degree,  with  a  3-inch  toe.  His  hind 
shoe  weighed  less  than  three  ounces,  3-inch  toe,  angle  51.  He 
wore  shin  boots  behind  with  a  very  light  coronet  boot,  a  very  light 
knee  boot  for  protection  only,  for  I  had  driven  him  without  any 
hoots  a  little  ways  as  fast  as  he  could  go.  he  never  touching  a 
hair.  I  wore  an  open  bridle  on  him  with  his  head  checked  a  lit- 
tle above  the  level  of  back.  No  martingale.  I  fed  him  twelve 
quarts  of  grain  a  day.  with  all  the  hay  that  he  would  eat.  His 
stomach  and  digestive  organs  were  always  in  perfect  order.  After 
I  said  he  was  re;'.dy  to  trot  he  should  never  have  lost  a  heat, 
and  the  only  time  that  he  did  I  myself  was  to  blame  for  it.  not 
him.  While  he  has  done  what  no  other  three-yenr-old  ever  ap- 
proached, the  world  does  not  know  what  his  real  ability  was,  for 
I  am  just  as  sure  in  my  own  mind,  had  I  hit  the  right  day  and 
track,  lie  would  have  trotted  a  mile  in  2:0.5  or  better,  as  I  was 
sure  that  he  would  trot  a  mile  in  2:07i^  or  better,  which  I  did  not 
hesitate   to   say    the   day   he    trotted   in    2:06%. 


90  CARE  AND  TRAINING  OP^  TROTTERS  AND  PACERS. 

Fantasy,  2:0&^. 

Fantasy  was  broken  and  worked  as  a  two- 
year-old  and  showed  speed  at  once.  As  a  three- 
year-old  she  started  seven  times  and  was  never 
defeated,  except  in  one  heat.  At  Nashville  after 
winning  the  fast  heat  in  2:16^,  distance  was 
waived  and  a  runner  sent  along  to  prompt  Fan- 
tasy and  she  trotted  the  second  heat  in  2  :o8^. 
She  was  a  nervous,  high-strung  mare,  but  very 
steady.     She  was  driven  by  Ed.  F.  Geers. 

Sunol,  2:0854. 

Sunol  (the  last  of  the  high  wheel  three-year- 
old  champions)  was  a  mare  of  somewhat  whim- 
sical form.  She  was  15.2  hands  high  at  the 
withers  and  16  hands  behind.  She  was  fast  in 
the  paddock  but  gave  trouble  in  breaking,  being 
high  strung  and  cranky  and  had  to  be  handled 
gently.  She  was  broken  to  harness  at  a  year 
old,  worked  a  little  beside  a  steady  going  horse, 
then  tried  to  single  harness  while  she  was  very 
jnruly.  At  first  it  took  about  an  hour  to  hitch 
her  up.  She  was  worked  carefully  during  the 
winter  of  her  yearling  and  two-year-old  form, 
but  brushed  at  speed  a  short  distance  (say  a  quar- 
ter in  35  seconds)  every  other  day  or  two.  On 
Aug.  I  of  her  two-year-old  form,  four  days  be- 
fore her  first  start,  she  worked  her  first  full  mile 
at  Los  Angeles  in  2  40 V2  and  repeated  in  2 :38. 
The  next  day  she  was  merely  exercised  and  on 


THREE-YEAR-OLDS.  91 

the  following  was  repeated  in  2  -.^6  and  2 1331/2. 
She  won  her  race  in  2:341/0  and  2:25.  She  was 
taken  home  and  brushed  quarters  and  halves. 
She  was  shipped  to  Petaluma  and  on  Aug.  20 
worked  in  2 138  and  2 133 .  Two  days  later  she 
won  in  2 :28^  and  2 126%  and  w^as  returned  to 
Palo  -Alto  until  the  second  week  in  October.  She 
was  then  shipped  to  San  Francisco,  where  she 
was  given  two  repeats,  the  first  in  2:32  and  2:35, 
the  second  in  2  \2^y2  and  2  123,  the  latter  on  Oct. 
18.  Two  days  later  she  started  against  the 
world's  two-year-old  record  of  2:21  held  by 
Wildflower,  and  although  suffering  from  sexual 
excitem.ent  reduced  the  record  half  a  second.  A 
week  later,  with  only  brush  work  in  the  mean- 
time, she  trotted  in  2:18.  She  was  then  taken 
home  and  jogged  all  winter  to  skeleton  wagon. 
She  was  turned  out  in  a  paddock  and  one  day, 
in  playing,  strained  a  tendon  in  her  right  hind 
leg.  The  resultant  swelling  was  kept  dowm  by 
cooling  lotions  and  cold  show-ers.  Jogging  was 
commenced  on  May  19,  but  she  w^as  not  brushed 
for  a  month,  as  her  hind  ankles  looked  suspicious. 
She  was  then  given  the  brush  system  till  she  could 
step  a  quarter  in  30  seconds,  then  mile  and  repeat 
work.  On  being  shipped  to  San  Francisco  she 
contracted  a  very  severe  case  of  distemper.  At 
Napa  the  weather  was  hot  and  this,  with  her 
nervous  temperament,  kept  her  much  reduced  in 
strength.     At  Petaluma  she  w^as  defeated  by  Lil- 


i)'2  CAKE  AND  TRAINING  OF  TKOTTEKS  AND  PACERS. 

lian  Wilkes  after  she  had  won  the  fast  heat  in 
2:21^1/2.  A  week  later,  at  Oakland,  she  turned 
the  tables  and  won  in  straight  heats,  best  time 
2:20.  At  Sacramento,  on  Sept.  12,  she  walked 
over  in  2:16^2.  Five  days  later  she  won,  best 
time  2:18.  At  Fresno,  on  Oct.  2,  she  went  against 
time  in  2:133^.  At  San  Francisco,  Oct.  12,  she 
walked  over  in  2:15^,  and  again  on  November 
Q  in  2:io}2.  She  closed  the  season  at  Napa,  on 
Nov.  16,  when  she  trotted  against  time  in  2:15. 

Axtell,  2:12. 

Axtell's  training  as  a  two-year-old,  as  re- 
counted by  C.  W.  Williams,  appeared  in  the  last 
chapter.  From  November  i  of  his  two-year-old 
form  till  the  first  of  March  following  he  was  not 
jogged,  but  turned  out  every  day  and  fed  all  the 
oats,  bran  and  carrots  he  could  eat,  with  corn- 
stalks for  coarse  feed.  On  March  i  his  jogging 
commenced  with  one  mile.  This  was  increased  a 
mile  a  day  till  he  was  taking  twelve  miles  of  road 
work  a  day.  This  was  kept  up  till  May  i,  when 
he  was  worked  on  the  track  twice  a  week,  but 
jogged  twelve  miles  every  other  day.  His  track 
work  was  on  the  brush  system.  In  addition  to  all 
this  work  he  w^as  bred  to  22  mares  between  March 
I  and  July  4,  but  was  not  given  much  work  the 
days  he  served  mares.  Up  to  the  last  of  June  he 
had  not  been  a  mile  faster  than  2 140,  but  had 
he-en  speeded  fast  quarters  and  halves.     The  last 


THREE-YEAR-OLDS.  93 

week  in  June,  at  Cedar  Rapids,  la.,  he  reduced  the 
three-year-old  half  mile  track  record  from  2  :26}4 
to  2:2134.  On  July  2,  at  ^Minneapolis,  ^linn,,  he 
started  against  the  three-year-old  stallion  record 
of  2:18,  held  by  Sable  Wilkes,  and,  although  it 
was  a  cold  raw  day,  with  a  light  rain  falling,  he 
trotted  in  2:15^.  On  July  4,  at  Independence, 
la.,  he  reduced  the  half-mile  track  record  to 
2:20^/2.  For  the  next  few  days  he  was  jogged 
eight  to  ten  miles,  then  shipped  to  St.  Paul,  ]\Iinn.. 
and  started  to  beat  2:15^4,  and  equalled  it,  which 
constituted  a  losing  performance ;  the  track  was 
dead  and  cuppy  and  thought  to  be  about  three  sec- 
onds slow.  Axtell  was  then  shipped  to  Independ- 
ence for  a  few  days'  rest,  then  to  Cleveland,  O., 
where  he  further  reduced  his  record  to  2:1444. 
Then  on  to  Chicago,  where  he  went  an  exhibition 
mile  in  2:1554  and.  two  days  later,  won  a  race, 
best  time  2:14.  The  next  week  at  Independence 
he  worked  in  2 :22,  the  following  w^eek  at  Des 
Moines  in  the  same  notch.  He  was  then  sent 
home  and  jogged  three  weeks.  At  St.  Louis  he 
worked  in  2:19,  then  was  shipped  to  Terre  Haute. 
Early  in  the  w-eek  he  was  driven  an  exhibition  in 
2:i4j4.  The  next  day  he  was  not  harnessed,  the 
following  day  he  was  jogged  six  miles  ic  cart  on  a 
country  road  The  next  day,  Oct.  11,  he  reduced 
the  three-year-old  record,  and  also  the  all-aged 
stallion  record  to  2:12.  That  night  he  was  sold 
for  $105,000. 


94  CAKE   AND   TKAIXIXG   OF   TKOTTEKS   AM)   TACERS. 

In  Conclusion. 

We  have  now  followed  the  colt  from  the  day  of 
its  birth  to  the  fall  of  its  three-year-old  form.  By 
this  time  the  reader,  if  he  has  absorbed  and  di- 
gested all  that  has  been  written,  by  the  famous 
horsemen  who  have  contributed  to  this  work,  and 
even  if  he  is  an  amateur,  will  have  formulated 
ideas  of  his  own  on  the  proper  way  to  train  and 
race.  When  a  man  reaches  that  stage,  further  ad- 
vice is  superfluous.  The  remainder  of  our  pages 
will  be  devoted  to  various  matters  of  general  in- 
terest. 


Peter    Volo,    2:03y2     (in    1914),    World's    Champion    Three-Year-Old 
Trotter. 


SHOEING  COLTS. 


95 


Chapter  VI— Shoeing  Colts. 
By  Dr.  Jack  Seiter. 


HEX  shoeing  a  colt  I  have 
found  that  a  study  of  the  gait 
of  its  parents,  when  possible, 
is  of  great  assistance,  for,  in 
correcting  a  fault,  it  is  well 
to  know  whether  it  is  individ- 
ual or  hereditary.  And  before 
going  into  the  subject  of  this  chapter  I  wish  to 
register  a  note  of  warning  as  regards  heredity  of 
gait.  How  often  have  I  seen  a  breeder  attempt  to 
produce  a  colt  of  good  conformation,  by  crossing 
a  horse  of  excellent  structure  (one  with  which 
the  most  exacting  judge  of  horse  flesh  could  find 
no  fault)  with  a  spindle-legged,  knee-knocking 
mare,  simply  because  she  was  well  bred,  or  had 
considerable  speed.  Naturally  he  figured  that  the 
stallion  would  predominate  in  this  union,  and  the 
colt  would  be  of  the  desired  conformation.  T 
have  seen  this  mistake  made  year  after  year.  The 
influence  of  heredity  (for  bad  as  well  as  good) 
can  not  be  better  illustrated.  The  result  is  usually 
a  leaning  toward  the  bad  ;  the  colt  is  almost  always 
an  animal  of  faulty  conformation  in  one  or  more 
points.  Naturally  this  condition  will  also  exist  if 
we  reverse  the  order  of  things,  and  cross  an  ill 
structured    stallion    with    a    perfectly    developed 


<l()  VAlii:  AND   TUAIXIXG   OF   TKOTTEKS  AND   PACERS. 

mare.  The  bad  will  almost  always  crop  out  in 
preference  to  the  good.  If  more  attention  were 
paid  to  the  conformation  of  both  the  sire  and  the 
dam,  we  would  not  be  obliged  to  cope  with  the 
large  number  of  misfit  animals  that  are  raced  to- 
day. It  is  not  uncommon  to  hear  some  of  our  best 
horsemen  make  the  remark,  that  "such  a  colt  has 
license  to  be  very  fast,  but  he  hits  his  knees,  he 
toes  out  with  one  foot,"  or  some  other  malforma- 
tion handicaps  him  from  being  a  world  beater. 
After  several  years  of  training,  during  which  time 
the  horse  shoers  and  the  boot  makers  derive 
enough  money  out  of  him  to  buy  a  good  animal, 
the  colt  is  given  up  as  a  bad  racing  prospect.  If 
a  filly,  she  is  retired  to  the  broodmare  ranks,  to 
produce  more  of  the  same  type ;  if  a  stallion,  to  do 
stud  service,  to  fill  the  country  with  more  trouble 
makers  of  the  sort  that  drive  prospective  owner- 
DUt  of  the  game.  But  this  thing  has  been  going  on 
for  ages,  and  the  chances  are  that  it  will  continue 
as  long  as  the  breeders  insist  on  breeding  their 
"pets,"  regardless  of  conformation,  expecting  to 
get  perfectly  developed  animals,  that  will  do  to 
race  and  to  fix  a  type  of  race  horse.  Many  promi- 
nent stallions,  standing  at  high  fees,  have  been 
handicapped  because  wealthy  horsemen  would  in- 
sist on  breeding  their  worn-out  favorite  road 
mares  to  the  stallion  then  in  the  lime-light — Axtell 
and  Bingen  are  recalled  as  two  examples  and  there 
are  many  more. 


SHOEING  COLTS.  97 

First  Trip  to  the  Blacksmith. 

When  the  colt  arrives  at  the  age  of  two  months 
its  feet  should  be  examined  carefully.  If  dressing 
is  needed  feet  should  be  attended  to  at  this  time. 
Just  as  a  human  baby  becomes  bow-legged,  the  colt 
is  liable  to  be  foaled  with,  or  acquire,  a  faulty  con- 
formation. If  the  toes  are  excessively  long,  they 
must  be  shortened ;  if  the  heels  are  abnormally 
high,  they  must  be  cut  down :  and  if  the  foot 
shows  more  growth  on  one  side  than  the  other, 
the  high  side  should  be  trimmed  down  far  enough 
so  that  the  lower  side  will  also  receive  its  share 
of  the  weight  and  bearing.  If  the  colt  shows  the 
slightest  inclination  of  being  deformed,  knock- 
kneed,  or  toes  out,  we  must  dress  down  the  out- 
side of  the  hoof,  especially  the  outside  toe,  and  it 
is  also  advisable,  in  cases  of  thfs  kind,  to  rasp  ofT 
the  edges  of  the  wall  at  the  outer  toe,  enough  to 
reduce  it  to  the  same  thicknes:.  as  the  inner  one. 
By  following  these  instructions,  at  least  once  a 
month,  one  can  work  wonders  with  a  foot  of  this 
type.  Under  no  consideration  :?hould  one  apply  a 
knife  to  the  sole,  bars  or  frog  of  the  foot.  Ex- 
cessive cleaning  out  of  the  fet  t  is  not  advisable, 
either ;  naturally  we  must  lool.  after  the  cleanli- 
ness of  the  feet,  but,  unless  there  are  positive 
signs  of  thrush,  one  must  not  gu  to  extremes,  such 
as  the  free  use  of  the  foot  pi  'k,  which  is  often 
the  cause  of  forcing  filth  int*;  the  cleft  of  the 
frog  and  the  bars,  whereas,  if  the  parts  are  left 


98  CAKE  AND  TRAINING   OF   TROTTERS  AND   PACERS. 

intact  and  filled  up  with  the  natural  growth  of 
horn  that  nature  provided,  it  will  become  almost 
impossible  for  the  seat  of  the  trouble  to  become 
infected.  In  case  of  thrush  one  must  not  go  to 
extremes  in  an  endeavor  to  cure  it,  and  cut  away 
the  bars  and  frog.  One  must  try  and  save  all  of 
the  frog  that  is  not  infected,  consequently  only  the 
ragged  edges  should  be  removed,  for,  by  carving 
out  the  healthy  portions  of  the  frog  or  bars,  we 
only  invite  future  trouble,  in  the  form  of  contrac- 
tion. In  the  majority  of  cases  the  knife  is  entirely 
unnecessary,  but  a  good  washing  out  with  warm 
water,  to  which  a  good  antiseptic  solution  has 
been  added,  will  remove  the  trouble.  After  this, 
the  foot  must  be  thoroughly  dried,  generally  it  will 
dry  out  naturally  in  a  few^  minutes.  Then  the 
parts  involved,  the  cleft  of  the  frog  and  sur- 
rounding bars,  must  be  packed  with  some  good 
antiseptic  powder;  it  is  a  good  plan  to  force  some 
cotton  or  oakum  into  the  crevices  to  hold  the 
powder  in  place.  Several  treatments  of  this  kind 
generally  suffice  to  cure  the  most  stubborn  case  of 
thrush.  But,  as  in  all  other  afflictions  that  horse 
flesh  falls  heir  to,  an  ounce  of  prevention  is  worth 
a  pound  of  cure. 

Care  in  Dressing  Hind  Feet. 
In  dressing  the  hind  feet,  it  is,  as  a  rule,  advis- 
able to  keep  the  toes  short  and  well  rounded  ofT, 
but  the  conformation  must  never  be  lost  sight  of. 
If  there  is  the  slightest  sign  of  curby  hocks,  we 


SHOKING  COLTS!.  99 

can  not  cut  the  toes  too  short,  nor  keep  the  heels 
too  high,  and  where  there  is  a  strong  predisposi- 
tion to  this  unsoundness,  early  shoeing  is  strongly 
recommended,  the  shoe  to  be  square  toed  and  set 
hack  from  the  toe,  the  heels  of  the  shoe  to  be  of 
a  good  length  and  a  heel  calk  turned  up  on  them. 
Xow,  the  above  are  simple  rules,  so  simple,  in 
fact,  that  they  are  known  alike  by  the  humble 
stable  boy  and  the  prosperous  owner,  but  we 
often  overlook  small  details ;  consequently,  the 
oftener  we  are  reminded  of  them,  the  more  apt 
we  will  be  to  remember  them.  If  we  overlook  the 
most  minute  detail,  which  goes  to  build  up  the 
animal,  we  will  have  a  weakness  somewhere,  and 
the  chain  is  as  strong  as  its  weakest  link  only. 

W^ith  the  above  precautions  and  attentions  ever 
before  us,  we  will  have  the  proper  sort  of  a  foot 
to  work  on,  when  the  time  arrives  for  the  first 
shoeing.  The  first  shoes  should  be  applied  for 
protection  only,  consequently  they  must  be  as  light 
and  thin  as  possible,  and  the  nail  holes  as  few  as 
possible,  and  punched  toward  the  toe,  to  allow  for 
the  natural  expansion  of  the  foot.  The  foot  must 
be  leveled  with  the  rasp  only,  no  knife 
should  be  allowed  to  mutilate  the  sole,  the  bars, 
or  the  frog;  if  we  leave  these  structures  intact, 
and  apply  a  thin  shoe,  we  do  not  rob  the  frog  of 
its  function,  that  of  acting  as  a  cushion,  not  only 
to  the  foot,  but  to  the  limb  as  well.     The  frog  is 


100       CAKE  AND  TKAINING  OF  TROTTERS  AND  PACERS. 

the  one  thing  that  we  can  depend  upon  to  keep 
the  foot  in  its  natural  elastic  state,  the  sole  and 
bars  depend  upon  the  frog  to  furnish  them  with 
moisture,  and  they  in  turn,  when  pliable,  protect 
the  structures  that  are  above  them.  If  the  frog 
and  bars  are  left  intact,  as  nature  intended  they 
should  be,  we  will  not  be  troubled  with  contrac- 
tion, and  its  sequels,  such  as  corns  and  quarter 
cracks.  The  frog  takes  care  of  the  entire  foot, 
there  is  no  substitute,  that  man  has  discovered  as 
yet,  that  will  take  the  place  of  the  good,  healthy, 
unmutilated  frog  as  a  moisture  secreting  organ, 
and  never  under  any  conditions,  should  it  be  cut 
into.  It  is  permissible  to  trim  off  the  ragged 
edges,  and  rightly,  too,  but  there  are  few,  indeed, 
who  can  resist  the  temptation  to  cut  off  just  a 
little  more  than  is  necessary — the  idea  being  to 
give  the  frog  a  symmetrical  appearance — to  make 
it  take  on  the  appearance  of  some  of  the  pictures 
we  occasionally  see  labeled — a  natural  foot.  The 
fact  of  the  matter  is,  that  a  natural  foot,  un- 
touched by  the  hand  of  man,  or  his  misery  pro- 
ducing tools,  is  about  as  unsymmetrical  a  piece  of 
handiwork  as  the  Creator  ever  endowed  an  ani- 
mal with,  yet  we  attempt  to  make  a  model  shaped 
organ  out  of  this  crude  appearing  mass  of  sensi- 
tive and  insensitive  tissue.  It  is  not  desirable  to 
interfere  with  the  growth  of  the  foot  at  all,  outside 
of  shortening  the  wall  sufficiently  to  enable  us  to 
get  a  good  level  bearing  for  the  shoe.   The  frog,  bars 


SHOEING  COLTS.  101 

and  sole  should  not  be  touched;  the  more  sole  t^t 
leave,  the  less  danger  of  bruises  and  corns  we  will 
have  to  contend  with  ;  the  more  frog  bearing  we 
can  obtain,  the  less  jar  and  i::oncussion  the  foot 
and  limb  are  subject  to,  and  the  less  corns  and 
quarter  cracks  we  are  liable  t.)  have  and  we  pre- 
serve the  natural  moisture.  This  evaporates  the 
moment  we  apply  a  knife  and  open  the  cells  or 
pores. 

Hard  Frog  Unnatural. 

An  animal  will  go  lame  if  it  steps  on  a  pebble  or 
a  rock,  especially  if  the  sole,  bars  and  frog  have 
been  excessively  pared  out.  A  frog  that  has  been 
trimmed  to  the  extent  of  robbing  it  of  its  natural 
function  and  trimmed  so  it  is  forever  kept  off  of 
the  ground,  will  dry  up  and  become  as  hard  as  a 
piece  of  stone.  ]\Iost  horsemen  will  admit  that  a 
stone  will  bruise  a  foot,  but  it  is  difficult  for  some 
to  realize  that  a  dried-up  frog  is  just  as  hard  as  a 
stone.  The  fact  of  the  matter  is,  they  both  do 
the  same  damage  to  the  foot,  with  this  slight  dif- 
ference, the  stone  acts  on  the  sole  only,  whereas 
the  hard  frog  acts  on  the  sensitive  structures  that 
underly  it,  the  fatty  frog,  the  preforans  tendon, 
where  it  runs  over  the  navicular  bone  to  find  its 
attachment  on  the  semi-lunar  ridge  of  the  coffin 
bone  and  above  this  the  nacivular  bone.  Can 
the  frog  protect  those  parts  when  it  is  robbed  of 
the  power  to  do  so  ?   Well  hardly. 


102        CARE  AND   TItAIXIXC    OF    ritOTTIOltS  AND   PACERS. 

"No  foot,  no  horse,"  "no  frog,  no  foot,"  are 
two  true  sayings,  consequently  we  must  consider 
the  frog  to  be  a  link  in  the  chain  in  order  to 
have  a  perfect  working  animal,  all  parts  must 
work  in  unison ;  if  only  one  and  the  most  insig- 
nificant structure  is  out  of  order,  we  are  in 
trouble.  The  chain  has  a  weak  link,  consequently 
it  matters  not  how  powerful,  speedy  or  game  an 
animal  is,  when  the  crucial  test  arrives,  the  en- 
tire structure  will  be  found  to  be  no  stronger 
than  its  weakest  organ. 

We  hate  to  be  told  the  truth.  We  do  not  like 
to  have  the  little  things  that  go  to  build  up  the 
large  ones  drilled  into  us,  and  the  majority  of 
horsemen,  upon  reading  the  above,  will  say :  We 
know  that  much  ourselves.  Certainly  you  do — 
but  it's  the  things  that  we  know  the  most  about, 
that  we  grow  careless  of ;  we  are  too  anxious  to 
learn  something  new,  consequently  forget  the  old 
and  fundamental  principles  of  our  work.  For 
instance,  if  a  horse  becomes  lame,  it  matters  not 
where,  we  look  for  something  to  cure  the  lame- 
ness, a  hot  iron,  or  a  liniment  that  may  be  still 
hotter.  We  do  not  understand  the  action  of 
them,  but  they  are  the  things  we  invariably  go 
after;  instead  of  looking  after  the  little  things, 
things  we  understand,  things  that  are  the  direct 
cause  of  our  troubles,  and  if  any  one  should  en- 
deavor to  explain  them  to  us,  we  would  exclaim, 
"Why,  I  know  that  much  myself."     Certainly  you 


SHOEING  COLTS.  103 

do,  but  why  don't  you  use  your  knowledge  before 
you  are  in  trouble  ? 

Changes  in  Colt's  Gait. 
The  changes  that  take  place  in  a  colt's  gait, 
after  being  shod,  are  due,  to  a  great  extent,  to 
the  abnormal  changes  that  the  structure  of  the 
foot  often  has  to  undergo,  changes  that  are  not 
due  to  the  ignorance  of  the  persons  in  charge  so 
much  as  to  the  carelessless.  In  a  natural  foot,  the 
sole  is  perfectly  flat,  the  frog,  the  bars  and 
the  sole  all  have  an  ecjual  bearing  upon  the 
ground.  If  we  take  off  just  enough  of  the 
wall  to  get  a  level  bearing  surface  for  the  shoe, 
and  then  apply  a  thin  strip  of  steel,  the  thickness 
not  to  exceed  the  amount  of  wall  we  have  taken 
off,  we  will  shoe  according  to  nature,  or  as  near  as 
possible  to  nature ;  of  course  it  is  to  be  understood 
that  the  bars,  sole  and  frog  are  left  intact.  But 
here  is  the  general  procedure :  the  sole  is  carved 
out,  the  bars  are  also  cut  out,  and  the  frog  is  cut 
away  and  shaped  up,  then  a  shoe  is  applied  that  is 
usually  from  a  quarter  to  a  half  inch  thick.  The 
moment  this  shoe  is  applied,  the  sole,  frog  and 
bars  are  robbed  of  their  functions  as  weight  car- 
riers and  concussion  destroyers,  they  dry  out  and 
become  atrophied,  and  as  hard  as  a  stone.  The 
colt  is  worked,  and  goes  well  for  the  time  being, 
but  after  a  few  weeks  he  shows  signs  of  going 
rather  short  gaited,  does  not  extend  himself  as  he 
should,  or  as  he  did  when  first  shod.     Again  he  is 


104        CARE  AND  TRAINING  OF  TROTTERS  AND  PACERS. 

taken  to  the  shop;  we  all  know  what  the  orders 
will  be,  do  not  take  a  thing  off  his  feet,  and  apply 
a  still  heavier — and  naturally  thicker — shoe  in  an 
eft'ort  to  improve  the  action.  In  this  manner  the 
frog  and  sole  are  still  further  elevated  from  the 
ground  which  nature  intended  it  should  come  in 
contact  with  at  every  step.  After  this  change,  we 
have,  following  in  rapid  succession,  the  dropping 
in  of  the  quarters,  contraction  of  the  feet,  fol- 
lowed by  corns  and  quarter  cracks,  and,  also,  the 
foundation  is  laid  for  that  dreaded  of  all  foot 
troubles,  navicular  disease.  When  the  hard,  atro- 
phied frog  comes  in  contact  with  a  stone  or  a  rock, 
and  the  sensitive  structures  that  it  is  supposed  to 
protect,  with  its  rubber-like  elasticity,  are  bruised, 
then  there  will  loom  up  in  the  near  future,  a 
bloodshot  sole,  a  bruised  tendon  or  navicular 
disease. 

A  Natural  Dressed  Foot. 
When  the  foot  is  dressed  in  the  proper  manner, 
and,  after  it  is  shod,  receives  the  proper  attention 
and  care — it  is  just  as  essential,  or  more  so,  to  keep 
the  feet  of  a  colt  soft  and  pliable,  as  it  is  to  be- 
stow that  care  on  a  race  horse — it  will  be  found 
that  not  one-half  of  the  weight  usually  applied  is 
necessary  to  balance  a  colt.  Now  this  may  seem  a 
broad  statement  to  make,  but  it  is  a  fact,  as  I  have 
discovered  during  twenty  years'  work  with  light 
harness  horses,  and  considerable  of  that  time  was 
spent  shoeing  colts  and  taking  care  of  their  feet, 


SHOEING  COLTS.  105 

on  some  of  the  most  prominent  stock  farms  in  the 
country,  and  farms  are  the  ideal  school  for  any 
one  interested  in  this  work.  No,  what  I  say  is  not 
theory,  but  fact,  as  the  average  horseman  or 
horseshoer  is  well  aware.  They  all  know  better, 
but  they  often  overlook  the  small  details,  looking 
for  the  larger  ones.  Instead  of  getting  at  the  seat 
of  the  trouble,  the  cause  as  it  were,  and  removing 
it,  they  entirely  overlook  it  in  their  endeavor  to 
correct  gait  with  new-fangled  shoes,  toe  weights, 
pads,  bits,  straps,  and  the  like. 

REPLYING    TO    AN    INQUIRY. 

Dear  Sir:  In  a  recent  issue  of  The  Horseman  j-our  advice  on  colt 
shoeing  was  to  let  the  frog,  sole  and  bars  have  ground  bearing,  so 
they  would  perform  their  natural  duties  and  retain  a  healthy  con- 
dition. Now  we  find  cases  where  such  would  be  impossible  and  what 
I  wish  to  know  is  this,  if  the  wall,  sole,  frog,  and  bars  were  rasped 
perfectly  flat  and  a  perfectly  flat  disk  of  steel,  shoe  shape,  was 
nailed  on,  would  bad  results  follow  from  concussion  on  sole,  bars,  or 
frog,  or  all  three?  In  case  of  open  heeled  shoeing  should  pressure 
be  allowed  between  s«le  and  shoe  inside  of  lamni?  I  ask  this  because 
our  shoer  forbids  the  least  sole  pressure  and  another  says  without  it, 
the   wall   will   be   split   loose   from    the    foot. — L.    E.,    Calif. 

The  horse  in  its  natural  state  has  an  equal  amount  of 
frog',  bar  and  sole  bearing  along  with  the  wall  bearing, 
and  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten  the  average  race  horse,  after 
wearing  his  shoes  for  several  weeks,  will  be  found  to  have 
the  same  bearing  distributed  over  the  entire  surface  of 
the  hoof,  especially  is  this  the  case  when  the  shoe  is  made 
of  very  thin  material  and  devoid  of  calks.  Cases  are  rare, 
Indeed,  where  the  sole  does  not  grow  down  after  a  few 
V,  eeks  of  shoeing,  so  that  it  is  perfectly  even  with  the 
wall,  and  shoe,  it  matters  not  how  much  of  an  effort  we 
may  make  to  prevent  or  avoid  this  condition  by  excessive 
paring  out  the  sole,   the  bars  and  the  frog. 

It  is  not  good  policy  to  attempt  to  rasp  the  wall,  sole 
and  frog  perfectly  flat;  but  it  is  good  practice  to  rasp  the 
sole,  wall  and  bars  level,  but  in  all  cases  we  must  strive  to 
preserve  the  frog,  every  particle  of  it.  It  matters  not  how 
much  frog  pressure  we  obtain,  the  more  the  better.  This 
idea,  or  rather  notion,  that  we  save  the  sole  and  frog  from 
concussion    by    cutting    them    away    so    that    they    cannot 


106        CARE  AND   TKAINING   OF   TK0TTEK8  AND   PACERS. 

come  in  contact  with  the  ground  is  all  nonsense,  pure  and 
simple. 

If  an  animal  were  not  supposed  to  have  frog  and  sole 
pressure,  why  is  it  almost  the  universal  rule  of  all  of  our 
foremost  drivers  and  horsemen  to  invariably  shoe  with 
a  leather  pad  under  the  shoe  and  then  pack  the  space  be- 
tween the  sole  of  the  foot  and  the  pad  with  hoof  ointment 
and  then  lay  several  layers  of  oakum  upon  it?  This  is  gen- 
erally packed  in  as  snug  as  possible.  Do  they  not  do  this 
to  avoid  concussion  by  distributing  the  blow  of  the  foot, 
as  it  hits  the  ground,  over  the  entire  sole  surface?  Cer- 
tainly they  do,  otherwise  what  would  be  the  use  of  the  pad 
and  packing?  Would  it  not  be  just  as  well  to  carve  out 
the  frog,  sole  and  bars  and  then  not  use  the  leather  and 
packing?  It  may  do,  to  the  theory  of  some,  but  if  there 
were  any  merit  in  this  procedure,  why  do  not  the  leading 
horsemen  shoe  in   this   manner? 

The  old-time  trotting  horse  men,  and  shoers,  too,  can 
vouch  for  the  fact  that  the  old-timers  were  more  in  favor 
cf  paring  out  the  soles  of  their  horses  feet,  in  fact  a  far- 
rier's reputation  depended  to  quite  an  extent  upon  his 
ability  to  do  a  nice  job  of  paring.  By  this  is  meant  to  see 
how  mucn  of  the  frog,  sole  and  bars  he  really  could  cut 
out  without  drawing  blood.  But  history  tells  us  that  the 
old-time  racer  invariably  had  foot  trouble  of  some  sort 
or  other,  generally  corns,  quarter  cracks  and  toe  cracks 
were  common,  and  contraction  and  its  subsequent  sequel, 
the  dreaded  navicular  disease.  There  is  no  denying  the 
fact  that  excessive  paring  of  the  sole  ultimately  hastens 
the  above  named  foot  diseases. 

If  our  colts  had  their  feet  dressed  in  the  proper  manner 
from  colthood  up  and  were  shod  according  to  nature,  the 
entire,  structure  would  be  pliable,  as  nature  intended  it 
should  be,  without  artificial  hoof  packings  and  oils,  and  as 
it  is  when  untouched  by  the  hand  of  man. 

No  one  ever  saw  a  hard  frog  or  sole  in  the  foot  of  an 
animal  that  had  plenty  of  frog  and  sole  pressure.  The 
action  of  the  frog  supplies  the  needed  expansion  to  the 
hoof  at  every  step  and  this  action  necessarily  keeps  the 
bars  and  sole  in  constant  activity  and  consequently  pliable 
and  resistant  to  concussion. 

In  all  the  schools  for  farriers,  especially  those  of  the 
foreign  countries  (and  there  is  no  denying  the  fact  that 
they  are  far  advanced  and  pay  more  attention  to  the  foot 
cf   the  horse   than   we   do,    as   a  general  rvile)    students   are 


SHOEING   COLTS.  107 


taught  to  dress  the  foot  with  a  rasp  only.  In  our  own 
army  the  rules  say,  you  must  not,  under  any  consideration, 
touch  the  sole,  the  frog-,  or  the  bars  of  the  feet  with  a 
knife.  In  the  veterinary  colleges  (very  few,  1  am  sorry  to 
state,  make  any  pretense  of  giving  this  all  important 
structure  its  due  share  of  study)  they  also  teach  us 
that  by  applying  a  knife  to  the  sole,  bars  and  frog  of  the 
foot  we  rob  it  of  its  natural  function  and  elasticity  and  its 
natural   moisture   secreting  qualities. 

If  a  foot  is  dressed  perfectly  flat  and  the  frog  and  bars 
are  left  in  their  natural  state,  the  chances  for  concussion 
are  remote  indeed.  The  foot  lands  upon  the  heels.  The 
frog,  if  in  its  natural  state,  breaks  the  concussion.  There 
is  no  further  chance  for  concussion  after  the  foot  comes 
in  contact  with  the  ground,  for  after  it  strikes  the  ground 
031  the  heels  and  frog  the  rest  of  the  movement  is  simply 
a  continuation  of  a  roll  until  the  foot  again  leaves  the 
ground. 

Years  ago,  especially  in  the  old  countries,  the  Charlier 
shoe  (named,  no  doubt,  after  its  inventor),  or  more  often 
a  "tip"  after  the  same  pattern,  was  widely  used.  It  was 
made  out  of  very  narrow  material  and  instead  of  being 
nailed  upon  the  wall  of  the  foot,  as  is  the  custom  now  in 
vogue,  there  Avas  a  groove  cut  out  of  the  wall  extending  in 
and  up  for  about  three-eighths  of  an  inch,  depending  upon 
the  size  and  strength  of  the  wall,  and  into  this  groove  was 
fitted  the  shoe,  or  plate.  When  the  job  was  completed  the 
sole,  frog  and  bars  were  left  intact,  in  identically  the  same 
manner  as  though  the  animal  were  bare-footed,  the  function 
of  the  shoe  being  merely  to  prevent  breakage  of  the  wall. 

This  shoe  was  and  is  successfully  used  on  hunters  and 
jumpers.  Our  trotters  have  only  their  own  weight  to 
carry  and  the  concussion  naturally  depends  greatly  upon 
the  action  of  the  animal.  But  when  we  take  a  hunter  and 
put  a  hundred  and  fifty  pounds,  or  more,  upon  his  back 
and  then  ask  him  to  take  a  four  or  flve-foot  fence,  it  can 
readily  be  seen  that  the  possibilities  for  concussion  are 
greatly  magnified,  yet  we  hardly  ever  hear  of  one  of  this 
kind  being  laid  up  on  account  of  bruised  feet. 

In  England  they  have  races  for  ponies  that  stand 
fourteen  hands  high.  Tn  order  not  to  exceed  this  heighth 
it  is  often  necessary  to  go  to  extremes  in  dressing  the  feet, 
the  wall,  at  times,  being  rasped  considerably  lower  than 
the    sole,    and    then    the    thinnest   possible   piece    of   steel   is 


108       CARE  AND  TRAINING  OP  TROTTERS  AND  PACERS. 

applied,  often  the  Charlier  shoe  or  "tip"  being^  used.  I  have 
it  from  reliable  information  that  invariably  the  feet  of 
these  ponies  that  undergo  this  shortening  process  are  the 
best  and  are  free  from  corns,   bruises  and  quarter  cracks. 

I  know  of  a  large  teaming  stable  in  Chicago,  the  owner 
of  which  is  a  graduate  veterinarian,  and  he  tells  me  that 
the  best  feet  on  many  of  his  horses  are  those  that  occa- 
sionally lose  a  shoe  while  on  the  road,  his  orders  to  the 
drivers  being,  drive  to  the  nearest  shop  and  have  an  old 
flat  shoe  tacked  on  to  the  foot,  and  do  not  allow  the  smith 
to  dress  the  foot  in  any  way.  Especially  is  the  use  of  the 
knife  forbidden.  Those  horses  travel  over  the  rock  paved 
streets  on  their  frogs,  bars  and  soles,  they  do  not  go  lame 
or  sore,  simply  because  those  parts  are  left  intact  and 
able  to  perform  their  duty  as  nature  intended  they  should. 

Of  what  use  is  a  pad  under  a  light  shoe?  Some  say  a 
pad  covering  the  foot  and  packed  with  oakum  only  adds  to 
the  concussion  of  the  sole.  Others  say  it  breaks  concus- 
sion, so  there  you  are.  I  believe  that  outside  of  holding 
moisture  to  keep  the  sole  of  the  foot  soft  that  pads  are, 
in  most  cases,  unnecessary.  If  the  foot  were  dressed  as  it 
ought  to  be  from  the  beginning,  and  the  sole,  frog  and 
bars  left  intact,  the  use  of  pads,  especially  the  full  pad, 
could  be  dispensed  with.  The  structures  named  would 
secrete  sufficient  moisture  naturally,  that  is  if  they  are 
permitted  to  fulfill  their  function  as  weight  carriers  and 
concussion  destroyers.  I  believe  that  where  a  pad  is  indi- 
cated, on  account  of  the  track  being  extremely  hard,  the 
rim  pad  of  very  thin  leather  will  answer  the  purpose  very 
well.  The  animal  would  get  along  better  yet  if  we  left 
just  a  trifle  more  sole  and  wall.  There  is  just  about  as 
much  elasticity  in  the  natural  sole  and  wall  as  we  could 
expect  to  find  in  the  average  leather  pad. 

To  sum  up;  I  believe,  in  fact  I  know  from  experience, 
that  if  we  dress  the  foot  of  the  colt  in  this  manner  and 
keep  the  wall  dressed  down  at  regular  intervals,  and  then 
follow  the  same  principle  when  we  shoe  him,  we  will 
have  considerably  less  of  the  common  ailments  that  the 
foot  falls   heir   to. 

On  the  other  hand,  I  would  not  advise  taking  an  animal, 
especially  an  aged  one.  that  has  had  its  frog,  bars  and  sole 
trimmed  out  until  they  were  thin  enough  to  give  under  the 
pressure  of  the  thumb,  and  where  the  frog  is  dried  up  and 
shrunk  out  of  all  semblance  of  a  natural  frog,  and  the  foot 


SHOEING  COLTS. 


is  contracted  and  hard,  and  attempt  to  drop  this  sort  of  a 
sole  and  frog  upon  the  ground,  certainly  it  would  not  be 
advisable  unless  ihe  feet  were  well  softened  first,  and  horse 
then  turned  out  into  some  place  where  the  footing  was 
soft.  When  a  condition  as  this  presents  itself,  it  is  best  to 
dress  the  foot  down  in  gradual  stages. 

I  never  heard  of  a  case  where  sole  pressure  lamed  an 
animal,  nor  have  I  ever  heard  of  a  wall  splitting  loose 
from  the  foot  for  the  want  of  sole  pressure.  Of  course 
there  are  exceptions  to  all  cases,  but  generally  when  we 
find  rare  cases  of  this  sort  there  may  have  been  a  hundred 
and  one  different  causes  that  have  brought  them  on,  causes 
that  probably  seem  too  insignificant  for  the  average  horse- 
man,  or   horseshoer,   to   notice   in   their   incipiency. 


Colcrado  E.,   2:0434    (in   1910).   Former  World's  Champion   Three-Year- 
Old   Trotter. 


110        CAKE   AND   TRAINING   OF   TROTTERS  AND   TACERS. 

Wearing  Shoes  at  the  Toe. 

(Dr.  Jack  Seiter  in  Horseshoers"  Journal.) 

Am  shoeing  a  tiorse  that  is  giving  me  much  trouble  to  get  going 
right.  Her  hind  feet  are  at  an  angle  of  60  degrees  and  she  wears 
out  the  shoe  only  at  the  toe,  never  touching  the  heels. 

We  have  a  lot  of  hind  toe  draggers  out  here  and  don't  understand 
why,  but  think  it  is  caused  from  weak  kidneys  and  this  trouble  is 
in   turn   caused   by  eating   alfalfa. 

I  would  like  to  have  the  opinion  of  some  of  the  Grand  Circuit 
shoers  on  the  subject  and  will  value  the  favor  very  much  if  you 
would  send  the  shoe  that  I  am  mailing  you  and  which  was  taken  off 
of  this  horse,   to  Dr.  Seiter  for  his  opinion. 

The  animal  is  a  good  trotter  around  the  pumpkin  circuits  and 
moves  along  at  about  a  2:20  gait. 

In  answer  to  this  inquiry  I  will  state  that  this  trouble 
is  rather  common  among  our  race  horses,  especially  so 
among-  those  that  have  been  trained  as  yearlings,  or  twc- 
j-ear-olds,  and  is  to  be  found  more  frequently  amor.g 
pacers   than   trotters. 

There  probably  are  several  causes  that  we  may  lay 
blame  to  for  this  condition.  Some  are  hereditary,  and 
naturally  no  cure  can  be  advocated  for  this  class  outside 
of  always  remembering  that  like  begets  like,  and  in  this 
way  aim  to  breed  only  the   best  to  the  best. 

In  others  the  trouble  is  mechanically  brought  on,  either 
by  excessive  training  when  young,  or  not  sufficiently  de- 
veloped to  withstand  the  severe  preparation  required  in 
order  to  develop  speed  in  a  colt.  These  may  be  classed 
as  strains  or  sprains  to  either  the  ligaments  or  tendons. 
At  times  a  nail  wound,  a  nail  prick,  a  bruised  frog,  a 
bruised  heel,  or  a  weak  ankle  may  be  the  direct  cause  of 
this  condition,  but  the  main  cause  in  the  majority  of  cases 
is  due,  in  my  estimation,  to  the  neglect  of  the  foot  in 
the  early  career  of  the  animal.  Failure  to  keep  the  foot 
of  the  colt  trimmed  properly  froin  the  time  it  is  a 
few  months  old  up  to  the  time  it  is  first  shod  is  generally 
the  direct  cause  of  this  trouble.  At  this  age  they  are  apt 
to  grow  abnormal  feet,  either  the  toes  get  too  long,  this 
naturally  weakens  the  ankle,  or  else  the  toes  become  too 
short  and  the  heels  too  high,  and  then  the  column  of  bones 
of  the  foot  and  ankle  gradually  adjust  themselves  to 
correspond    with    the    deformed    foot,    consequently    by    the 


SHOinXC   COLTS.  Ill 


time  the  animal  arrives  at  the  age  of  two  or  three  years 
old  the  damage  has  been  done,  and  is  difficult  to  rectify, 
but  I  believe  that  if  taken  in  time  at  this  age  we  can 
work  wonders  along  these  lines  by  simply  gradually  re- 
ducing the  heels  a  trifle  every  week;  it  would  not  do  to 
attempt  to  cut  them  down  at  one  cutting  as  this  generally 
only  causes  aggravation  of  the  case,  but  by  gradually  re- 
ducing the  foot  to  normal  we  may  bring  about  the  desired 
result.  Shoeing  with  tips,  especially  the  "Cliaarlier"  tip, 
is  indicated,  or  rubber  pads  applied  with  a  tip  often  re- 
stores confidence  and  gradually  the  animal  places  weight 
upon  the  heels  again,  but  it  takes  time  to  rectifj'  this 
trouble,   and   one   must   everlastingly   keep   at   it. 

We  all  know  that  a  weak  back,  a  weak  bladder  or  kid- 
nej's,  or  any  trouble  along  the  back  or  loins,  invariably 
causes  an  animal  to  walk,  more  or  less,  on  its  nma  toec, 
but  this  could  be  diagnosed  by  any  competent  veterin- 
arian, and  if  this  were  the  cause  of  the  trouble  a  cure 
would    be   affected   as    soon    as    the    cause    was    removed. 

Alfalfa  is  not  a  proper  food  for  a  horse,  if  fed  alone. 
A  little  of  it,  now  and  then,  may  be  all  right,  but  for  an 
animal  that  has  to  work  hard,  or  undergo  a  hard  siege  of 
training,  it  is  absolutely  out  of  place  and  I  would  advise 
you,  even  if  this  may  be  the  direct  cause  of  the  trouble, 
to  write  to  the  E'xperimental  Station  of  Colorado  and  they 
will  gladly  furnish  you  with  the  desired  information  in 
regards  to  the  action  of  alfalfa  on  the  kidneys  of  the 
horse. 

Manrico  3,  2:07i4,  in  the  sixth  heat  of  a  race,  car- 
ried an  angle  of  sixty  degrees  on  his  hind  feet;  he  would 
wear  his  hind  shoes  in  two  in  a  few  days  and  never  even 
brighten  up  the  heels.  I  had  occasion  to  meet  the  man 
who  shod  Manrico  during  most  of  his  career  while  in 
California,  in  charge  of  Will  Durfee.  This  man,  Watt 
Cleveland,  was  doing  the  Great  ^^estern  Circuit  in  com- 
pany with  Roy  Wilhelm.  Both  these  boys  are  from 
California,  first  class  mechanics,  and  also  about  two  as 
good  fellows  as  one  could  meet  anywhere  in  this  wide 
world.  They  told  me  that  Manrico  was  in  this  condition 
when  first  shod,  and  they  both  thought  that  it  was  caused 
by  neglecting  the  feet  during  the  early  months  of  his 
colthood.  They  said  that  they  had  tried  to  cut  down  his 
heels,  but  that  he  simply  would  not  set  them  down  level 
with    the    floor,    but   that    when    working    on    one    foot    the 


CARE  AND  TRAINING  OF  TROTTERS  AND  PACERS. 


colt  would  rest  upon  the  toe  of  the  opposite  foot  in  such 
;i  manner  that  several  times  he  broke  off  the  entire  toe 
of  the  hoof,  and  that  in  order  to  avoid  this  they  had  to 
shoe  one  foot  at  a  time,  but  they  said  that  when  they 
applied  hig-h  heels  onto  the  shoes  he  would  at  times  rest 
upon  them,  but  on  account  of  being  so  high  they  had  a 
tendency  to  stop  him  when  at  speed;  anyhow  his  career 
was  so  short  and  meteoric  that  they  did  not  have  a 
cliance  to  do  much  experimenting  along  those  lines  on 
him. 

I  am  at  present  shoeing  a  very  fast  animal,  that  is,  I 
have  shod  him  once  so  far.  He  is  a  free-for-all  pacer  by 
the  name  of  Harry  L.  He  was  sent  to  me  with  the  orders 
not  to  touch  his  feet  behind,  simply  shoe  him  as  he  was 
shod.  Well,  he  wore  a  rim-steel  shoe  behind,  and  the 
shoe  was  worn  away  from  the  toe  back  to  the  second  nail 
hole.  The  toe  of  the  foot  was  also  worn  away  some,  but 
the  heels  of  the  shoe — they  were  plain  heels — were  not 
touched,  and  the  foot  had  been  worn  to  such  an  angle 
that  when  the  foot  rested  on  the  floor  the  toe  was  worn 
off  so  much  that  the  heels  of  the  shoe— they  were  all  that 
remained  on  the  foot — slanted  up  so  that  the  back  part  of 
them  were  at  least  a  half-inch  off  the  floor,  the  surface 
of  the  sole  having  a  sort  of  ball  bearing  appearance.  Well, 
I  shod  him  new  again  and,  actually,  he  walked  right  upon 
his  toes  in  such  a  manner  that  it  appeared  as  though  he 
would  knuckle  over  at  every  step.  The  angle  of  his  hind 
feet  was  seventy  degrees,  but  this  was  a  case  of  deformity 
pure  and  simple.  One  could  readily  see  that  the  entire 
column  of  bones  were  set  to  conform  with  the  angle  of  the 
foot,  and  the  ligaments  were  also  drawn  up  or  shortened 
until  they  resembled  a  bow-string,  and  yet  this  animal 
raced  fast  and  sound. 

Naturally,  some  horses,  or  breeds  of  horses,  have  a 
pre-disposition  to  this  trouble,  but  I  know  that  we  can 
work  wonders  along  these  lines  by  simply  attending  to 
the  feet  of  the  colts  from  the  time  they  are  weaned  up 
to  the  time  they  are  shod,  and  I  also  know  that  we  would 
have  far  less  bad-gaited  animals  and  better  limbed  ones 
if  this  all-important  question  was  lived  up  to.  But  there 
are  very  few  breeding  establishments  that  pay  any  atten- 
tion to  the  feet  of  their  young  colts.  They  are  probably 
trimmed  once  or  twice  by  some  farm  hand  who  simply  cuts 
off  everything  that  comes  within  range  of  his  nippers. 


SHOEING  COLTS.  113 

The  dressing  of  the  colt's  foot,  especially  the  first 
dressing-,  should  be  done  by  a  good  mechanic,  one  with 
a  good  eye,  one  with  a  good  knowledge  of  anatomy,  and 
I  will  warrant  you  that  you  will  see  the  improvement  in 
the  conformation  and  action  of  your  colts  before  one 
season   is   over. 

Remember  the  saying:  "As  the  twig  is  inclined  so  will 
the    limb    grow." 


CAKE  AND  TRAINING   OF   TItOT'l'KKS   AND   PACERS. 


Chapter  VII— The   Shoes  Worn  by  Colts  of 
1911  to  1914. 

BY  ARTHUR   C.    THOMAS. 

[Note — The  following  is  a  new  chanter  adfletl  to  the  second  editirn 
of  "Care  and  Training  of  Trotters  and  Pacers."  The  chapt3r  is 
made  up  largely  of  matter  appearing  in  Chapter  VI  of  the  first 
edition,  but  has  been  enlarged,  rearranged,  rewritten  and  informa- 
tion added  concerning   the  shoeing  of  the  1914  colts.] 


HE    shoeing  of   the    fastest   coh 
trotters  of  each  year  is  always 
a   matter   of   interest   to   horse- 
men, and  is  also  a  valuable  in- 
dex to  the  gradual   changes  in 
the  farrier's  art.     In  the  Christ- 
mas  numbers    of    "The    Horse- 
man,"  from  191 1  to  1914,  a  widely  read  feature 
was  the  annual  article  on  "How  the  Babies  of  the 
Year  Were  Shod." 

From  these  articles  we  have  compiled  the  fol- 
lowing tables.  The  first  column  of  figures  gives 
weight  of  toe  weight  (if  any),  second  column 
weight  of  front  shoes,  third  column  angle  of  front 
feet,  fourth  column  length  of  front  feet,  fifth  col- 
umn weight  of  hind  shoes,  sixth  column  angle  of 
hind  feet,  seventh  column  length  of  hind  feet. 


Table  I— Trotters. 

Yearling   Trotter  of   1912. 
Wt.      V,'t.       Anu".    Lgth. 
Toe    front     front    frmt 


Airdale.    2:  5vi 


Srarklo    Wntt<. 
U.    Forbes.    2:2r 


wt. 
0 


shoe. 

5% 


Wt.     An?.   Lgth. 
bind     hind      hind 
feet.     feet.      shoe.     feet.     feet. 


4!)        :^i4 

Yeailing  Trotters  cf  1913. 

2       n  r.i)       * 

2         4  Vi  50         3 14 


21/0 


SVs 


THE   SIIOKS   WOKX    i:V   COLTS   OF   lull    TO    1014. 


Two-Year-Old  Trotters. 

Two-Year-Old   Trotters   of   1911. 


Wt. 

Wt. 

Aug. 

Lgtu. 

Wt. 

Aug. 

Lgth. 

Toe 

front 

front 

front 

hind 

hind 

hind 

wt. 

shoe. 

feet. 

feet. 

shoe. 

feet. 

feet. 

Jrace  0.  C.  2:21 14 

.   .3 

9 

4614 

4 

4 

54 

3% 

Graham   Bellini.   2:2ui,2. 

2 

7 

48 

3% 

31/2 

531/2 

3% 

Hj-dryatl,     2: 18^4 

'.    0 

7% 

48 

3% 

4 

50 

3y2 

Mahomet   Watts,   2:17i^ 

.   3 

9 

49 

* 

55 

31/2 

Mildred  Togo.  2:17%... 

61 2 

45 

314 

4 

48 

3% 

Princess   Todd,   2: 12 14.  . 

2 

7 

49 

3% 

3 

50 

3% 

The  Right,  2:20i4 

IS 

* 

51 

3% 

53 

3% 

Twc-l 

fear-Old   Trotters  of   1912. 

Dillon    Axworthy,    2:llij 

7 

48 

314 

4 

53 

3% 

Don    Chenault 

s 

48 

3% 

31/2 

50 

3% 

Lord   Brussels,    2:12 

* 

7 

49 

314 

4 

53 

31/, 

Peter  Johnson,    2:29i/4.. 

;  2 

61 2 

49 

3% 

4 

52 

3y2 

Sweet  Alice,  2:16i4.-.. 

2 

48 

3% 

414 

54 

3% 

Two-Year-Old    Trotters    of    1913. 

Bonnie    Setzer.    2:23 

2 

7 

48 

3% 

4 

54 

8% 

.ludge  Jones.   2:12% 

'.  3 

9 

48 

3% 

4 

55 

3% 

Lady   Wanetka,    2:10.  .  . 

.  0 

6 

48 

31/2 

31^ 

52 

3% 

Lucile     Spier 

.  3 

914 

47 

3'/s 

4 

49 

sl 

Onset,    2:19%.... 

.  3 

81,4 

48 

3% 

4 

52 

31/2 

Peter' Voio,    2:0iV2 

8  '" 

*'* 

414 

* 

Princess    Nelda.    2:14%. 

.2-3 

614 

48 

31/2 

5 

53 

3  ¥2 

Roberta    Bingen.    2: 17 14 

.  3 

6% 

* 

3% 

4y2 

* 

3% 

Roval   Hall.   2:19^4 

.  0 

6 

46 

31/2 

2% 

46 

SV2 

Todd  Forbes,   2:20% 

.  3 

9 

46 

3% 

51/2 

50 

3% 

Two-Year-Old   Trotters  of   1914. 

Bon    Courage 

.  0 

7 

49 

3%, 

4 

54 

31r4 

Eudora   Spier,   2:22i/t... 

.  3 

7 

49 

3% 

31^ 

50 

3V> 

Gen.    French,    2:10% 

.2-3 

9 

47 

3% 

4   ■ 

54 

3V, 

Henry  Todd,   2:11%.... 

.  3 

9 

47 

4 

52 

•  3% 

Native  Spirit,   2:09%.  .  . 

.  0 

6 

46 

3% 

314 

50 

3% 

Prelma.    2:16% 

2 

714 

49 

it 

314 

55 

3% 
3% 

Rova   McKinney,    2:09% 

.  0 

714 

48 

4  " 

55 

Sparkle  Watts,  2:10i/o.. 

2 

7 '" 

49 

314 

4 

52 

3V2 

Thre 

e-Ye 

ar-Old  Trotters. 

Three- 

Year- 

Old  Trotters  c 

f  1911. 

Wt. 

Wt. 

Aug. 

Lgth. 

Wt. 

Aug.   Lgth. 

Toe 

front 

front 

front 

hind 

hind 

hind 

wt. 

shoe. 

feet. 

feet. 

shoe. 

feet. 

feet. 

Atlantic    Express.    2:0814 

.   0 

514 

49 

3% 

3 

54 

3% 

Beirne   Holt 

.    3 

8 

49 

3% 

4 

* 

3% 

Box.    2:2414 

.    3 

50 

414 

6 

52  Va 

4 

Burt  Axworthy,   2:15i/4. 

.   0 

514 

48 

3% 

31/2 

54 

31/2 

Fay    Kirk.    2: 15 14 

.   3 

8 

53 

31/2 

SVa 

60 

3% 

Gustavo,    2:1814 

.    0 

6 

47 

3% 

4 

521/0 

3y2 

Jack  Swift.   2:10VL. 

.   3 

8 

49 

3% 

41/2 

55 

3% 

Justice    Brooke.    2:0814 . 

2 

7 

48 

3% 

3 

55 

3V2 

Mamie    Guy.    2:16i/..... 

.'    0 

7 

4.-. 

3% 

5 

50 

3% 

Margaret  Parrish.   2:0814 

.   0 

7 

46 

* 

3 

51 

* 

Mightellion,   2:19% 

.  3 

S 

50 

3% 

6 

52 

3% 

Miss   Stokes,   2:08%.... 

.  3 

8 

48 

3% 

3 

* 

3% 

Peter  Thompson,   2:07 1/2 

3 

8 

48 

3% 

4 

53 

3% 

Three- 

Year-Old   Trotters   of   1912. 

Adlon.    2:07% 

0 

714 

47 

3% 

.31/2 

54 

3% 

Baldv  McGregor.   2:06% 

* 

8 

47 

3% 

52 

3% 

Brighton   B.,    2:11% 

."   3 

s 

48 

3% 

5 

54 

3% 

King  Clansman.   2:181,4  • 

.    * 

6 

52 

3% 

31/2 

* 

sya 

Mahomet  Watts,    2:10.. 

* 

9 

49 

3% 

4 

55 

3% 

Manrico,    2 :07i4 

0 

414 

50 

3% 

31/0 

59 

* 

Medinmore      2"12¥> 

.3 

71,4 

* 

314 

^ 

Rhythmell,  2:08 

.   0 

5  " 

49 

3% 

4" 

52 

3y2 

116       CARE  AND  TRAINING  OF  TROTTERS  AND  PACERS. 


Three-  Year-  Old   Trotters 

Barbara  Overton,  2:16%..  *  11  * 

Binville,    2:17i4 0  51/2  49 

Bonington,    2:lli4 3  5%  47 

Dillon    Axworthy,    2: 10%.  3  7  48 

Col.   Cochran,   Jr.,   2:14i4.  0  8  50 

Don  Chenault.  2:05% 3  61/2  48 

Etawah,    2 :07y2 0  7y2  48 

George    Rex,    2:11% *  *  ♦ 

Hallmark,  2:11% 0  9  48 

Ima   Jay 0  6  47 

Ladv    Elmhurst.    2:12%...  3  7  48 

Minna    Ward,    2:10 4  8%  48 

Nowaday   Girl,    2:13% 3  8  46 

Peter  Johnson,    2:08% 0  7  43 

Pine    Knot,    2:11% 3  SV2  * 

Ruby    Watts 0  7  46 

Sure  Mike.  2:14% 3  lo  50 

Sweet  Spirit,  2:09% *  10  * 

Willow  Mack,  2;24yo 3  7  48 

Three-Year-Old   Trotters 

Adbell  M.,    2:09% 0  9  47 

Airdale,   2 :09 0  6  48 

Baroness  Parmelia,  2:16%  0  7  48 

Billy    Bing,    2:13yo 3  S  51 

Electric    Patch,    2:09%...  3  7%  48 

Esperanza,    2 :09 0  6  * 

Lady   Wanetka 0  r>  48 

Lee   Axworthy,    2:08 2  7  * 

Mabel    Trask,    2:14% 0  6  52 

Miss    Perfection.    2:09%..  n  4%  52 

Ortolan    Axworthy,    2:07y2  0  7  48 

Peter   Volo,    2:03y2 3  9  48 

Virginia    Barnette,    2:08%  ^  *  • 


of  1913. 


3% 

3 

50 

3% 

3% 

3y2 

55 

3% 

3% 

4 

52 

3y, 

3% 

4 

50 

3% 

3% 

3 

50 

•6% 

3% 

4 

53 

3V. 

3 

♦ 

♦ 

3% 

5 

52 

3% 

3% 

4 

49 

'6V9 

3% 

3 

54 

3% 

3% 

3% 

55 

3% 

3% 

3y2 

52 

3% 

3% 

4 

52 

3% 

5 

* 

3% 

3y, 

52  y2 

3% 

3y2 

4y2 

52  V2 

3% 

3y2 

4 

48 

2% 

cf  1914. 

3% 

5 

51 

3% 

3y2 

3 

52 

3% 

3% 

4y2 

53 

3% 

378 

5y2 

56 

3V, 

4y8 

4 

52 

3% 

3% 

4 

* 

3% 

3% 

3y2 

52 

3% 

3 

* 

* 

3y2 

4 

48 

3% 

3% 

3 

54 

2% 

3% 

3y2 

50 

31A 

3% 

4y2 

53 

3% 

Table  II— Pacers. 

Two-Year-Old  Pacer  of  1911. 

Wt.      Wt.       Ang.   Lgth. 

Toe     front     front    front 

wt.     shoe.     feet.     feet. 

The   Conclusion.   2:11\^...  0         4  50         3% 

Three-Year-Old    Pacers    of    1911. 

King  Daphne,   2:07% 2         4  50         3y2 

Mis-s  De  Forest,  2:05%...    *         7  *         3y2 

The   Climax 0         *  47         3y2 

Three-Year-Old    Pacers   of    1912. 

Anna   Ax  Me,    2:08% -         S  51         3y2 

Herman  Wenger,  2:13%..    *         s  51%.     3% 

Impetuous  Palmer,   2:05%   *         4  48         3% 

Three-Year-Old  Pacers  of  1913. 

Direct   Gentry,    2:15% 0         0  50         3% 

Homer    Baughman,    2:08%  0         6  49         3% 

Little  Bernice.   2:09% *         8  *         * 

Tilly  Tipton,  2:09% *         9  *         * 

William,   2:05 3         9  49         3ys 

Three-Year-Old  Pacers  of   1914. 
Anna  Bradford.    2:00%...   2         7  48         3% 

Baron   Marque,   2:07% 3         7  48         3% 

Squantum,    2:09% 0         8  48         3% 

♦Information  not  given. 


Wt. 

hind 
shoe. 
4 

Ang. 

hind 

feet. 

54 

Lgth. 

hind 

feet. 

3% 

3% 

4 

55 
49 

3% 
3% 
3% 

6 
3 
3 

50 
54 

4 

3% 

3% 

4 
4 
4 

51 
54 

3% 
3% 

* 

5% 

48 

3% 

5 
5 

4% 

54 
53 
52 

3% 
3% 
3% 

THE  SHOES  WORN  BY  COLTS  OF  1911  TO   1914.  117 

The  previous  tables  indicate  the  weight  of 
shoes.  W'g  will  now  describe  the  style  of  shoes 
used.     The  shoes  are  classified  as  follows : 

Table  III — Classification  of  Shoes. 


quarc  toe        >  rS.  Creased  toe 


Oblique  toe 
Creased  toe 
Grab 

Heel  calks 
Three  calks 
Four  calks 


4.  Grab 

and  "{  o.  Heel  calks 

6.  Three  calks 

7.  Four  calks 


1 .  Plain  shoe 

2.  Bar  shoe 

3.  Swedged  shoe 

4.  Swedged  bar 
.J.  Half  swedged 

6.  Rim  shoe 

7.  Half  rim  shoe 

8.  Memphis  bar 

9.  Memphis  nub 

[Note — A    special    copyright    has    been    secured    on    this    numerical 
method  of  indicating  ^tyle  of  shoes  used  on  trotters  and  pacers.] 


In  the  following  tables  the  style  of  shoes  is  de- 
scribed by  numbers  which  may  be  translated  by 
reference  to  the  above  table.  Style  lOO  is  a  plain 
shoe,  the  first  digit  ( i )  refers  to  "plain  shoe,"  the 
two  ciphers  indicate  no  variations.  Style  130  is  a 
[)lain  shoe  with  creased  toe,  the  first  digit  (i)  in- 
dicating "plain  shoe,"  the  second  digit  (3)  indi- 
cating "with  creased  toe,"  and  the  cipher  indi- 
cating no  further  variations.  Style  135  is  a  plain 
shoe  with  creased  toe  and  heel  calks,  the  first  digit 
(i)  indicating  "plain  shoe,"  the  second  (3)  "with 
creased  toe,"  the  third  (5)  "and  heel  calks." 

The  following  table  gives  the  style  of  shoes  used 
!)}•  the  colts  mentioned  in  the  tables  I  and  II  ex- 
cept of  those  colts  whose  shoes  were  not  furnished 
us  for  illustration. 


lis        CARE  AND   TJiAIXIXG   OF  TKOTTEKS  AND   PACERS 


Table  IV— Trotters. 

style  Style 

of  of 

front  hind 

Name,  age  and  record.                                               Driver.  shoe.  shoe. 

Adlon,  3.   2:07% J.   H.   Diclierson  230  300 

Airdale,   1,  2:15% 11.  C.  Moody  100  310 

Atlantic  Express,  3,  2:08% J.   H.   Dickerson  110  150 

Baldv  McGregor,  3,  2:06% W.  J.   Andrews  fSOO  350 

Barbara   Overton,   3,  2:161/2 T.   W.   Murphy  250  * 

Baroness  Parmelia,   3,   2:16i/4 Ben  Bliss  200  115 

Billv  Bing.  3,   2:13V2 W.    N.   Albin  100  150 

Binville,    3,    2:17% Thomas-  Clayton   Jr.  200  150 

Bonington,   3,   2:lli4 J-    H.   Dickerson  300  350 

Bonnie  Setzer,  2,  2:23 C.  W.  Lasell  15f>  150 

Box.   3,   2:24% John    Young  245  145 

Brighton  B.,   3,   2:11% E.   F.   Geers  300  3()0 

Burt  Axworthv,  3,  2:15% Hiram  Tozier  230  315 

Col.  Cochran,  Jr.,  3,  2:14% E.  J.  Scott  100  150 

Dillon  Axworthy,  2,  2:11% J.   L.   Serrill  400  315 

Don   Chenault,    2 H.    C.    Stinson  150  300 

Don   Chenault,    3,    2:0534 H.    C.    Stinson  115  350 

Electric  Patch,   3,   2:09% Railey  Macey  350  115 

Eudora  Spier,  2,  2:22% E.   I.   White  110  100 

Esperanza,   3,   2:09 W.   G.   Durfee  115  315 

Etawah.    3,    2:07^0 Ed    F.    Geers  130  135 

Fav  Kirk,   3,  2:15Vo F.   S.    Kirk  270  100 

Gen.    French,    2,    2riO% Roy    Miller  130  400 

George  Rex,   3,    2:11% T.    W.   Murphy         *  150 

Grace  O'C,  2,   2:21% West  140  100 

Hallmark,    3,   2:11% A.    McDonald  350  550 

Henrv  Todd,   2,   2:11% C.   W.   Lasell  135  315 

Hvdrvad,   2,   2:18% Chas.   Grubb  300  150 

Ima   Jav,    3 Harvey   Ernest  100  150 

Judge  Jones,   2,   2:12% Harold  Childs  130  310 

Justice  Brooke.  3.  2 :08M> Roy  Miller  410  300 

King  Clansman,   3,   2:18% R.    D.   McMahon  150  150 

Ladv  Wanetka,   2,   2:10 W.   R.   Cox  100  100 

Lord  Brussells.  2,   2:12 Reamy  Macey  300  350 

Lucile   Spier,    2 J.    H.    Dickerson  400  550 

Mabel  Trask.   3,   2:14% Jos.    Hogan  250  hll3 

Mahomet   Watts.    3.    2:10 Zaeh    Chandler  170  115 

Mamie  Guy,   3,    2:16i/. Joseph  Lemelin  130  145 

Manrico.    3.    2:07% W.    G.    Durfee  250  450 

Margaret  Parrish,   3.  2:08% W.  J.   Andrews  300  300 

Mediumore,    3,    2 :12i/2 Farnsworth  100  100 

Mightellion,    3,    2:19% Andy    Holmes  lOi)  300 

Minna   Ward,    3,    2:10 Harold   Childs  230  300 

Miss   Perfection.    3,   2:09% Chas.    Durfee  210  300 

Miss  Stokes.   3.   2:08% A.    McDonald  200  3O0 

Native   Spirit.   2,   2:09% W.    R.    Cox  110  110 

Nowaday  Girl.  3,  2:13% C.  W.  Lasell  250  150 

Onset,   2,  2:19% C.    W.   Lasell  150  150 

Ortolan   Axworthy,    3,   2:07%. A.    McDonald  110  550 

Peter  Johnson,   3,   2:08% W.   R.   Cox  100  100 

Peter  Volo,  2.   2 :04V. T.   W.   Murphy  250  300 

Peter  Volo,   3,  2:03%. T.   W.   Murphy  130  300 

Pine  Knot,   3,   2:11% Joe    Rea  100  350 

Prelma.  2.  2:16% Ray  Snedeker  lOO  150 

Princess  Nelda.   2.  2:14% Roy   Miller  235  240 

Rhvthmell.   3,   2 :0S Bert  Shank  200  * 

Roberta  Bingen,   2,    2:17% J.   S.   Murray  145  150 

tOne  bar  only,     h — Heel  calks.     *Information   not  given. 


THE  SHOES  WORN  BY  COLTS  OF  1911  TO   1914. 


Roy  a  McKinney,  2,  2:09% Walter  Traynor  260  300 

Royal    Hall,    2,    2:19i4 Otto   Griggs  100  150 

Ruby  Watts.  3 R.    W.   Wright  100  500 

Sparkle   Watts,    2,   2::0V'. E.    F.   Ge'ers  115  185 

Sure   Mike,   3,   2:14% Chet   Kelly  90<1  550 

Sweet  Alice.   2,   2:16i4 Jas.   Benvon  100  350 

Sweet  Spirit.   3.   2:09i^. T.    W.    Murphy  250  * 

The  Rieht,   2.   2:2ni/i Mntt   Williams  115  115 

Todd  Forbes,  2,   2:20% Ray  Moore  130  100 

U.   Forbes.    1.   2:21 1/> H.    C.   Moodv  110  310 

Virginia  Barnette.  3    2:08% w.    G.  Pnrfee  215  315 

Willow  Mack,   3,  2 :24i^ George  Brown  135  550 

Table  V— Pacers. 

Anna    Ax   Me,   3,   2:^  SV4  ■  •  • T.    W.    Murphv  lOO  100 

Anna   Bradford.    3,   2:!!034 t.   W.    Murphv  400  500 

Baron   Marque,    3,   2:07% T.    W.    Murphv  2.35  520 

Direct  Gentry,   3,   2:15% O.    Amundsen  450  1,50 

Herman   Wenger,    3,   2:13% R.    D.    McMahon  145  245 

Homer  Baughman,  3    2:08% E.  F.   Geers  1.30  315 

Impetuous  Palmer.   3,   2:05% C.    A.    Valentine  60O  70i) 

King  Daphne.   3,  2:07% W.   .J.    Andrews  hl24  145 

Little   Bernice.    3,    2:09% Chas.    Atkinson  .300  650 

Miss  De   Forest,   3.   2:05% A.  McDonald  200  550 

The   Climax,    3 W.    O.    Foote  300  300 

The   Conclusion.    2,    2:171,4 Matt    Williams  600  145 

Tilly  Tipton.    3.   2:09% T.    W.    Mnn^hv  ?,C0  5-50 

William,   3,   2:05 W.    W.    Marvin  245  145 

In  order  to  show  what  styles  of  shoes  are  the 
most  often  worn,  the  following  tables  have  been 
prepared : 

Table  VT— Trotters. 

Front    Shces, 
(After    each    style   number    ai'iiear    the    names   of    trotters-   wearing 
that  style   shoe   in   front,    the   final   figure   showing   the   total  number 
using   that   style.) 
10<J— Airdale,     Billy     Bing.     Col.     Cochran     Jr.,     Ima     Jay,     Lady 

Wanetka.    Mediumore.   Mishtellion.   Peter  Johnson,   Pine   Knot, 

Prelma,    Royal  Hall,    Ruby   Watts,   Sweet  Alice 13 

110 — Atlantic     Express.      Eudora     Spier.      Native      Spirit.      Ortolan 

Axworthy,   U.    Forbes 5 

115 — Don   Chenault    (3),    Esperanza,   Sparkle   Watts.    The   Right 4 

130 — Etawah,    Gen.    French.    Judge   Jones,    Mamie   Guv,    Peter   Volo 

(3) .    Todd  Forbes .* 6 

135— Henrv  Todd,    Willow   Mack 2 

140— Grace    OT 1 

145 — Roberta    Bingen 1 

150 — Bonnie  Setzer.  Don  Chenault   (2),   King  Clansman.  Onset 4 

170 — Mahomet    Watts ] 

200 — Baroness  Parmelia,    Binville,    Miss   Stokes.    Rhvthmell 4 

210 — Miss    Perfection 1 

21.5 — Virginia    Barnette 1 

2.30 — Adlon.   Burt  Axworthy,    Minna  Ward 3 

235 — Princess    Nelda 1 

245— Box 1 

250 — Barbara     Overton.     Mabel     Trask.      Manricn,     Nowadnv     Girl. 

Peter  Volo   (2).   Sweet   Spirit 6 

260— Roya    McKinney 1 

270 — Fay    Kirk 1 

300 — Bonington,    Brighton    B.,    Hydryad.    Lord    Brussells.    Margaret 

Parrish     5 


120       CARE  AND  TKAINIXG  OF  TROTTERS  AND  PACERS. 


850— Electric   Patch,    Hall   Mark 2 

400 — Dillon  Axworthy,    Lucile   Spier 2 

410 — Justice    Brooke 1 

800— Baldy     McGregor '   i 

900— Sure    Mike 1 

Hind  Shoes  of  Trotters. 
100--Eudora   Spier.    Fay    Kirk,    Grace    O'C,    Lady    Wanetka,    Medi- 

umore,   Peter  Johnson,  Todd  Forbes 7 

110— Native    Spirit 1 

lloh— Mabel     Trask 1 

115 — Baroness     Parmelia,     Electric     Patch,     Mahomet     Watts?,     The 

Right    4 

135— Etawah,    Sparkle    Watts 2 

145 — Box,     Mamie    Guy 2 

150 — Atlantic    Express.    Billy    Bing.    Binville.     Bonnie    Setzer,    Col. 

Cochran  Jr.,   George  Rex.   Hydryad,   Ima  Jav,   King  Clansman. 

Nowaday  Girl.   Onset.   Prelma,   Robert  Bingen,   Roval  Hall 14 

240— Princess   Nelda 1 

30O— Adlon,     Brighton     B.,     Don     Chenanlt     (2).     .Justice     Brooke, 

Margaret  Parrish.   Mightellion,   Minna   Ward.   Miss  Perfection. 

Miss  Stokes,   Peter  Volo,    Roya   McKinney 11 

310 — Airdale,   Judge  Jones.   U.   Forbes 3 

315 — Burt    Axworthy,    Dillon    Axworthy,    Esperanza.     Henry    Todd, 

Virginia    Barnette 5 

350 — Baldy    McGregor,    Bonnington,    Don    Chenault    (3),    Lord   Brus- 

s'ells.  Pine  Knot.  Sweet  Alice 6 

450 — Gen.    French,    Manrico 2 

,500— Ruby  Watts 1 

550 — Hallmark.     Lucile     Spier.     Ortolan     Axworthy.     Sure     Mike. 

Willow    Mack 5 

Table  VII— Pacers. 

Front    Shoes. 

100 — Anna  Ax  Me 

130 — Homer   Baughman 

145 — Herman  Wenger 

200 — Miss    De    Forest 

2.35 — Baron     Marque 

245— William     

300— King  Daphne.    Little   Bernice.    The   Climax.   Tillv   Tipton 

400 — Anna    Bradford 

450 — Direct    Gentry 

600 — Impetuous    Palmer.    The    Conclusion 

Hind   Shoes  of  Pacers. 

100 — Anna  Ax  Me 

124h — King    Daphne 

145 — The    Conclusion.    William 

150— Direct   Gentry 

245 — Herman     Wenger 

.oQft— The    Climax 

315 — Homer    Baughman 

500 — Anna   Bradford 

520- — Baron    Marque 

550— Miss    De    Forest.    Tillv    Tipton 

650 — Little     Bernice 

700 — Impetuous     Palmer 

Table  VIII— Resume. 

Most  Popular  Front  Shoes  for  Trotters. 

Style  100  used  by .13 

Style  1.30  used  bv .6 

Stvle  2.50  used  bv 6 

Style  110  used  by 5 

Style  300  used  by 5 

Style  115  used  by 4 


THE  SHOES  WORX  BY  COLTS  OF  1911  TO   1914.  121 

Style  150  used  by 4 

Style  200  used  by 4 

Some  sort  of  plain  shoe  used  by .'!7 

Some  sort  of  bar  shoe  used  by 10 

Some  sort  of  swedged  shoe  used  by 7 

Some  sort  of  swed^ed-bar  shoe  used  by 'S 

Memphis  bar   shoe  used  by 1 

Memphis  nub  shoe  used  by 1 

Most  Popular  Hind  Shoes  for  Trotlers. 

Style  150  used  by 14 

Style  300  used  by 11 

Style  100  used  by 7 

Style  350  used  by P. 

Style  315  used  by 5 

Style  550  used  by 5 

Style  115  used  by 4 

Some  sort  of  plain  shoe  used  by 32 

Some  sort  of  swedged  shoe  us^ed  by 25 

Some  sort  of  half-swedged  shoe  used  by fi 

Some  sort  of  swedged-bar  shoe  used  by 2 

Bar  shoe   used   by 1 

Most  Popular  Front  Shoe  for  Pacers. 
Style  300  used  in  front 4 

It  will  be  noticed  that  the  most  popular  front 
shoe  for  trotters  is  a  plain  one.  Twice  as  many 
colts  wore  a  plain  shoe  as  any  other  kind.  Second 
choice  would  be  difficult  to  determine.  The  most 
popular  front  pacing  shoe  is  the  swedged. 

The  most  popular  hind  shoe  for  trotters  is  the 
plain  shoe  with  heel  calks,  followed  closely  by  the 
swedged  shoe.  Third  choice  would  be  difficult  to 
determine. 

The  classifications  are  not  elastic  enough  to  ac- 
curately indicate  the  wide  difference  between 
shoes  of  the  same  class.  Take  the  plain  front 
shoes  used  by  13  trotters.  According  to  our 
classification  all  are  alike,  yet  each  shoe  dift'ers 
from  the  others  in  some  particular,  either  as  to 
weight,  shape  or  size.  The  same  is  true  of  any 
other  kind  of  shoe.    To  describe  each  colt's  shoes 


122        TAKE   AND   TKAIXIXG    OF   TROTTEKS  AND   PACERS. 

accurately  would  require  a  cut  and  a  description 
and  would  defeat  the  purpose  of  our  tables.  It  is, 
likewise,  impossible  to  show  such  minor  details  as 
trailing  heels,  side  clips,  toe-weighted  shoes,  heav- 
ier toes,  etc. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  certain  trainers  seem  to 
prefer  certain  shoes.  Thus  Walter  R.  Cox  used 
plain  shoes  in  front  on  Lady  AA'anetka  and  Peter 
Johnson.  Thomas  W.  Murphy  used  a  bar  shoe 
with  heel  calks  on  Peter  Yolo  (as  a  two-year-old), 
Barbara  Overton  and  Sweet  Spirit.  Ed.  F.  Geers 
used  a  plain  shoe  with  creased  toe  on  Etawah,  and 
Homer  Baughman,  although  the  former  was  a 
trotter  and  the  latter  a  pacer.  Many  other  similar 
comparisons  might  be  drawn. 

The  general  drift  is  toward  simple  shoeing.  We 
now  seldom  see  such  freak  shoes  as  the  toe- 
weighted  shoes,  side-weighted  shoes,  Memphis  bars 
and  Memphis  nubs.  Even  shoes  with  toe  grabs 
are  disappearing.  The  time  was  when  a  long  cir- 
cular toe  grab  was  the  thing.  Then  we  had  an  im- 
provement in  the  way  of  straight  grabs  set  back 
from  the  toe.  but  these  were  practically  eliminated 
when  the  swedge  shoe  came  in  and  now  we  have 
the  creased  (or  grooved)  toe.  The  theory  of  the 
grooved  toe  is  that  it  gives  a  "hold"  without  inter- 
fering with  the  "break-over."  However,  it  is  ques- 
tionable if  a  "hold""  is  necessary.  The  weight  of  a 
horse  (except  on  wet  or  slippery  tracks)  would 
seem  to  furnish  about  all  the  hold  necessarv.    Evi- 


THE   SHOES   WOIiX   BY   COLTS   OF   1011   TO    1!)14.  123 

dently  the  California  trainers  have  come  to  this 
decision  for  in  1914  Bon  Courage,  Esperanza, 
Miss  Perfection  and  Virginia  Barnette  had  their 
shoes  made  of  half-round  instead  of  flat  steel. 
The  effect  of  such  a  shoe  is  that  it  sinks  a  trifle 
m.ore  into  the  earth  than  a  flat  shoe,  giving  the  re- 
quired hold,  yet  it  has  an  easy  break-over  at  the 
toe,  especially  when  the  toe  is  squared  a  trifle. 

AA'hether  or  not  to  use  pads  in  shoeing  is  a  much 
disputed  question — about  half  of  the  colts  in  the 
previous  table  wore  leather  or  rubber  pads.  As 
Peter  Volo,  the  champion,  wore  rubber  pads  we 
may  expect  a  run  on  rubber  pads  for  horsemen 
are  prone  to  use  equipment  similar  to  that  used  on 
champions. 

Another  tendency  noted  in  reviewing  the  shoes 
of  the  past  four  seasons  is  the  commendable  ten- 
dency to  shoe  colts  with  short  (\.  e.,  natural 
length)  toes  and  natural  angles.  Horsemen  are 
about  ready  to  concede  that  they  cannot  improve 
on  nature. 

The  horse  of  the  future  will  be  shod  as  close  to 
nature  as  possible,  with  merely  enough  metal  on 
the  hoofs  to  lessen  concussion  and  prevent 
breakage. 


124        CARE  AND  TRAINING  OF  TROTTERS  AND   PACERS. 


Chapter    VIII— The    Six    Principal    Defects    in 
Gait. 

(Note — This  article  appeared  in  the  1911  September  magazine 
number  of  "The  Hurseman."  The  call  for  extra  copies  exhaustec] 
that  i?sue  and  the  article  was  reprinted  by  request  in  the  1911 
Christmas  number  of  the  same  journal.  Inasmuch  as  that  issue  is 
also  exhausted  we  are  reprinting  it  in  this  Term:iient  form.  This 
chapter  is  covered  by  a  separate  copyright  although  the  entire  book 
is  copyrighted.  Mr.  Jordan's  book  "The  Gait  of  the  American  Trotter 
and  Pacer."  may  be  obtained  from  The  Chicajiu  Hors-eman  Newsjiaper 
Co..  5."S  So.   Dearborn  St..   Chicago.    111.,    i.rice  .$.S..".0  postpaid.) 

BY  RUDOLPH   JORDAN,   JR. 

E  would  have  obtained  a  better 
type  of  harness  horse  a  long 
time  ago  had  we  observed  the 
necessity  of  its  utility  as  well  as 
its  speed,  and  even  now  we  could 

gradually  form  a  better  type  of 

gait,  by  persistent  and  intelli- 
gent effort,  by  making  the  locomotion  of  that  ani- 
mal more  perfect  from  one  generation  to  another. 
In  the  end  a  nearly  perfect  gait  would  be  natural 
to  the  harness  horse.  In  order  to  correct  the  de- 
fects of  a  gait  we  should  have  as  clear  an  idea  of 
the  locomotion  as  possible.  After  that  has  been 
obtained  the  remedies  do  not  appear  so  mysterious 
as  before. 

When  we  speak  of  a  defect  in  the  locomotion 
of  the  horse  we  generally  mean  any  visible  sign  of 
an  uneven  action  and  of  the  interference  of  the 
four  feet.  We  judge  too  much  by  the  eye  when 
the  animal  is  in  motion,  w^hile  more  may  be 
learned  from  the  relations  of  the  legs  as  expressed 


THE   SIX    rKIXCIPAL  DEFECTS   IN   GAIT.  125 

by  the  tracks  on  the  ground.*  It  should  be  re- 
membered that  a  square  gait  is  one  that  shows  the 
greatest  efficiency,  both  in  point  of  strength  and 
regarding  speed,  with  the  least  exertion. 

Specific  defects  are  the  result  of  a  deranged  lo- 
comotion caused  by  ( i )  faulty  articulation  of  the 
joints,  (2)  relative  deficiency  of  muscular  develop- 
ment, (3)  incorrect  paring  of  feet  and  shoeing. 
The  first  two  may  be  largely  avoided  by  proper 
attention  to  the  foot  of  the  horse  from  early  youth 
up.  "The  growing  foot  is  a  growing  evil,"  and  its 
continual  paring  and  leveling  will  give  the  animal 
a  better  action.  A  wrong  articulation  of  the  joints 
and  the  consequent  direction  given  the  legs  by  the 
way  the  joints  are  set  and  move  in  their  opposite 
parts,  are  matters  much  harder  to  correct  or  even 
to  alleviate.  In  fact,  most  stubborn  cases  of  de- 
fective gaits  arise  from  that  cause.  Whenever 
tliere  is  a  deviation  from  a  straight  line  in  the  join- 
ing of  the  parts  of  the  leg  when  we  look  at  it  from, 
the  front,  there  is  likely  to  be  a  "toeing  in"  or 
"toeing  out"  of  the  foot  itself.  The  foot  will  also 
show  a  "wing"  at  either  inside  or  outside  toe  in 
consequence.  By  giving  the  leg  a  straighter  direc- 
tion that  will  modify  this  angle  of  the  foot  on  the 
ground  we  shall  have  less  of  a  curve  in  the  motion 
of  the  foot  as  it  travels  from  one  contact  with  the 
ground  to  the  next. 

*Scinip  olijc'tiun  lias  been  raisi'd  to  Mr.  .JiTiL-nrs  views  on  tin's 
point:  That  the  imprints  made  by  a  horse's  feet  when  they  strike 
the  gronnd  do  not  indicate  in  what  manner  he  has  handled  his  legs 
while  in  midair. 


12G        CAKE   AND   TItAIXIXc;   OF   TItOTTKItS  AM)   PACEKS. 

The  twofold  remedy  of  paring  the  hoof  and  of 
making  the  shoe  so  as  to  aid  such  paring,  or  to 
offset  some  structural  fault  of  the  hoof  or  leg,  can 
only  then  be  understood  properly  if  we  actually 
ascertain  from  an  investigation  of  the  gait  both  the 
original  cause  of  a  defect  and  the  effect  of  such  a 
remedy.  What  we  need  for  that  purpose  is  facts 
and  figures,  rather  than  theories,  as  to  the  probable 
cause  of  the  defects.  Guessing  is  but  mere  gam- 
bling, and  the  horse  in  general,  as  well  as  the  sport 
of  racing  in  particular,  deserves  more  serious  con- 
sideration than  either  of  these  forms  of  juggling 
carry  with  them. 

Many  defects  of  gait  result  from  a  lack  of  har- 
mony between  the  fore  and  the  hind  legs.  Too 
great  an  approach  or  too  marked  a  difference  in 
the  action  of  the  two  extremities  make  up  most 
of  the  causes  of  a  disordered  gait.  I  have  always 
insisted  on  more  hind  action  of  the  right  kind ; 
that  is,  it  does  not  want  to  consist  of  too  much  for- 
ward extension,  but  should  also  have  an  adequate 
backward  reach  as  an  effective  means  of  propul- 
sion. In  order  to  bring  that  about  the  hind  action 
should  be  somewhat  higher  in  elevation.  The  prev- 
alent notion  is  that  interference  between  hind  and 
fore  feet  can  only  be  avoided  by  developing  an  ab- 
normal front  action  and  leaving  the  hind  action 
to  take  care  of  itself.  In  the  many  experiments 
that  I  made  with  horses  of  all  manners  of  going 
two  principles  generally  held  true — namely:    (i) 


THE   SIX   I'lUNCII'AL  DEFECTS   IN   GAIT.  127 

the  higher  the  elevation  the  less  the  extension  of 
the  feet  and  (2)  the  higher  the  action  at  one  end 
the  lower  it  is  at  the  other. 

The  fundamental  idea  underlying  all  the  rem- 
edies for  the  defects  in  gait  is  to  counteract  the 
wrong  direction  of  motion  by  a  correction  which 
has  more  or  less  the  effect  of  sending  the  leg  in 
an  opposite  direction.  The  directions  taken  to  in- 
side or  outside  are  due  to  either  a  badly  leveled 
hoof  or  to  a  crooked  leg,  and  the  directions  for- 
ward or  backward  depend  on  the  length  of  toe  and 
the  angle  of  the  foot.  It  is  much  more  difficult  to 
control  the  side  motions  than  it  is  to  restrain  or 
increase  the  forward  and  backward  extensions  of 
the  legs,  because  of  the  rigid  position  of  the  joints. 
All  equine  locomotion  is,  however,  very  complex 
and  what  hinders  the  straight  directions  of  the 
legs  will  also  more  or  less  influence  the  extensions 
of  the  legs.  In  all  our  endeavors  for  the  improve- 
ment of  a  gait  we  need  a  lot  of  time  in  order  to 
allow  the  tendons,  ligaments  and  muscles  to  ac- 
commodate themselves  to  the  changes  made.  Hurry 
and  many  changes  following  close  upon  each  other 
are  not  only  dangerous  but  will  cause  much  con- 
fusion both  in  the  mind  of  the  horse  and  of  the 
man.  Again,  remedies  are  either  permanent  or 
temporary,  and  an  analysis  of  the  subsequent  gait 
becomes  necessary  in  order  to  find  out  definitely 
whether  they  are  to  be  continued  or  abandoned. 
When  the  defect  in  gait  can  be  laid  to  a  structural 


128       CARE  AND  TRAINING  OF  TROTTERS  AND  PACERS. 

fault  of  the  leg,  shoulder  or  hip,  due  to  a  faulty 
direction  of  the  joints,  and  therefore  also  of  the 
intermediate  bones,  a  remedy  may  become  perma- 
nent to  counteract  that  direction,  but  if  a  defect 
was  acquired  through  faulty  leveling  of  the  foot 
or  wrong  shoeing,  a  correction  either  in  the  paring 
of  the  hoof  or  in  the  shape  or  the  weight  of  the 
shoe  will  soon  remove  the  bad  habits  acquired.  In 
such  a  case  the  remedy  will  again  have  to  be  ad- 
justed to  the  resulting  change  so  that  no  damage 
be  done  by  retaining  the  original  remedy  too  long. 
In  other  words,  by  such  a  correction  a  gradual 
change  was  brought  about  in  the  tissues  of  the 
muscles  and  tendons,  and  as  these  tissues  supply 
the  necessary  strengthening,  the  gait  will  be 
changed  for  the  better.  In  all  such  investigations 
of  faulty  gaits  some  sort  of  proof  is  at  all  times 
necessary  to  show  (i)  the  origin  of  the  defect  and 
(2)  the  effect  of  the  applied  remedy.  Without 
such  a  proof  in  black  and  white  as  the  various 
measurements  of  the  distances  between  the  four 
feet  furnish  one  can  never  be  fully  convinced  of 
the  correctness  or  the  effectiveness  of  the  remedy. 

I  shall  now  enumerate  a  few  defects  that  can  be 
easily  seen  either  while  the  horse  is  moving  or  by 
the  evidence  on  his  boots. 

(1)   Knee  Hitting. 

A  vicious  outward  direction  of  the  cannon  bone 
due  to  a  wrong  or  oblique  articulation  of  the  knee 
joint  will  result  in  the  "toeing  out"  of  the  foot 


Tin-;  SIX  PKixcii'Ai-  I)i:fi:cts  in  gait.  \2u 

itself.  The  "pointing"  of  the  foot  here  consists  of 
the  toe's  direction  being  in  a  Hne  departing  from 
the  straight  line  parallel  to  the  general  line  of  mo- 
tion of  the  horse.  That  is  to  say,  the  foot  will 
travel  in  an  inward  curve  toward  the  other  leg. 
I"he  remedy  lies  (i)  in  widening  the  distance  be- 
tween the  two  fore  feet  by  slightly  raising  the  out- 
side half  of  each  foot,  and  (2)  by  causing  an  easy 
break-over  on  outside  toe  of  shoe.  For  that  pur- 
pose the  outside  web  of  the  shoe  may  be  beveled 
or  rounded  and  a  bar  or  two  calks  may  be  set  to- 
ward outside  toe.  This  outside  breakover  will 
somewhat  force  the  foot  to  "toe  in"  slightly,  thus 
counteracting  the  outward  direction  before  ob- 
served and  usually  resulting  in  a  much  reduced 
curve  toward  the  inside.  The  angle  of  the  foot  as 
it  is  set  down  on  the  ground  is  not  so  outward  and 
the  breakover  appears  on  the  soil  as  coming  less 
at  the  inside  and  more  at  the  outside  of  the  toe 
proper.  [Making  the  shoe  a  little  wider  or  even 
heavier  on  the  outside  will  bring  about  less  sink- 
ing in  and  hence  a  more  elevated  position  of  foot, 
and  a  roll  on  the  outside  toe  and  toward  heel  will 
also  help  the  intended  breakover  there.  The  sim- 
ple principle  involved  in  such  a  case  is  the  reduc- 
tion of  the  inward  swing  of  the  curve  resulting 
invariably  from  a  breakover  at  the  inside  of  the 
toe.  Of  course  in  all  cases  the  paring  of  the  hoof 
is  the  first  thing  to  attend  to,  and  here  the  lowering 
of  outside  toe,  leavino-  the  outside  heel,  and  asfain 


IP.O        CAUK   AND   TKAIXIXC    OK   'IKOTTKKS   AM>   I'ACKI:?;. 

lowering  the  inside  heel  and  leaving  the  inside  toe. 
will  in  itself  aid  in  giving  the  foot  and  leg  a  bet- 
ter direction.  These  manipulations  require  deli- 
cacy and  unless  such  is  applied  the  changes  had 
better  be  made  in  the  shoe  itself  after  trimming 
the  foot  down  to  a  perfect  level. 
(2)  Paddling. 
This  is  more  or  less  the  reverse  of  knee  hitting, 
being  caused  by  "toeing  in"  and  a  consequent  out- 
ward curve  of  the  foot.  There  is  here  no  such 
interference  with  the  opposite  mate  or  fore  leg, 
but  there  is  an  annoying  "speedy  cutting"  with 
the  hind  foot  on  the  same  side.  In  other  words, 
the  fore  foot  either  "scalps"  that  hind  foot  at  the 
toe  or  it  hits  it  on  the  inside  all  the  way  from  the 
middle  of  the  cannon  bone  to  the  pastern.  Pad- 
dling has  its  origin  in  a  wrong  articulation  of  the 
elbow  and  knee  joint.  While  in  knee  hitters  we 
often  find  an  elbow  joint  close  to  the  body,  w-e 
find  it  rather  well  separated  from  the  body  in 
paddlers.  The  toe  of  paddlers  "toes  in"  in  most 
cases,  and  the  reverse  remedy  of  that  applied  to 
knee  hitters  will  generally  produce  an  improve- 
ment in  the  outward  swing  of  that  disturbing 
curve.  The  endeavor  here  should  be  to  have  the 
breakover  on  the  inside  of  the  toe,  to  lower  inside 
toe  of  the  hoof  and  keep  inside  heel  high,  to  leave 
outside  toe  high  and  lower  outside  heel.  Again, 
if  the  shoe  is  to  su])ply  the  remedy,  first  get  the 
hoof  level,  then  apply  a     shoe  whose  inside  is  a 


THE  SIX   IMUNCIPAL  DEFECTS   IN   GAIT.  131 

little  wider  and  heavier  in  web,  set  the  bar  or  the 
calks  toward  inside  of  toe  to  effect  an  inside  break- 
over and  roll  the  web  from  point  of  toe  towards 
the  heel  for  the  same  purpose.  Of  course  the 
reader  will  understand  that  the  combination  of  all 
these  changes  will  hardly  be  necessary  in  each 
case,  and  he  should  not  proceed  too  rapidly  in  his 
correction  of  the  gait.  It  would  be  better  to  start 
first  with  the  trimming  of  the  foot  and  note  its 
effect,  and  then  try  the  application  of  the  shoe 
suggested.  And  again,  it  should  be  remembered 
that  an  adjustment  of  the  tissues  to  the  changes 
made  requires  time  if  we  do  not  want  something 
to  snap  suddenly  or  if  we  want  to  reap  benefit 
rather  than  damage. 

(3)  Hind  Interference. 
At  a  slow  gait,  such  as  a  roadster  often  takes, 
there  is  sometimes  a  striking  of  one  or  both  ankles 
by  the  opposite  mate.  This  is  caused  by  a  vicious 
direction  of  the  hind  leg  from  the  hip  or  by  an 
inward  curve  of  the  foot  from  the  hock  or  pastern 
joint.  Since  the  hind  legs  are  more  looselv  hung 
than  the  fore  it  is  more  difffcult  to  make  them  re- 
spond to  a  remedy,  but  a  separation  of  the  feet 
may  be  eff'ected  by  a  somewhat  higher  outside 
foot.  In  the  shoe  a  similar  eft'ect  could  be  had  by 
a  slightly  wider  outside  web  and  a  slightly  longer 
outside  heel.  Again,  inward  curves  of  the  motion 
of  the  foot  may  be  modified  by  paring  the  hoof  in 
the   same  manner  as   stated   in   the  two  previous 


132        LAKE   AM)   THAIMNG   OF   TKOTTEKS   AM)    PACERS. 

cases.  The  comparative  rigidity  of  the  fore  legs 
makes  them  more  responsive  to  small  changes,  but 
in  the  hind  legs  such  corrective  changes  may  be 
emphasized  or  increased  somewhat  without  as 
much  danger  to  the  limb  or  foot.  That  is  to  say. 
twists  due  to  a  wrong  adjustment  are  apt  to  cause 
more  damage  to  the  fore  than  to  the  hind  legs, 
(4)  Cross  Firing. 
The  same  kind  of  interference  that  occurs  in 
trotters — namely:  the  injury  sustained  by  hind  and 
fore  on  the  same  side — takes  place  in  the  pacei 
between  the  fore  and  hind  of  opposite  sides,  hence 
the  name  "cross  firing."  Inward  curves  of  mo- 
tion are  generally  at  the  bottom  of  such  interfer- 
ence, and  only  by  closely  observing  the  angles 
which  the  feet  make  on  the  ground  with  reference 
to  the  general  straight  line  of  motion  of  the  horse 
can  we  arrive  at  anything  like  the  real  cause  and 
a  probable  remedy.  Besides  this  there  may  exis* 
an  excessive  approach  of  the  fore  and  hind  in  thei; 
motion  from  side  to  side  ;  that  is,  there  is  too  much 
roll  from  side  to  side  in  the  pacer's  motion.  In 
the  trotter  the  hind  feet  are  usually  wider  apart 
than  the  fore  feet,  while  in  the  pacer  the  fore  feet 
usually  are  farther  apart  than  the  hind  feet.  Now 
a  good  many  defects  in  either  gait  are  due  to  an 
excessive  separation  of  the  hind  in  tlie  trot  and  to 
an  excessive  approach  of  the  hind  in  the  pace. 
Another  common  fault  in  sj^cedy  horses  is  an  ex- 
cessive  forward   extension   of  the  hind  legs,   and 


THE  SIX   PKIN'CirAL  DEFECTS   IX   GAIT.  133 

this,  together  with  the  above  defect,  produces  ag- 
gravated cases  of  speedy  cutting  and  of  cross 
firing.  Whether  such  interference  can  be  rem- 
edied depends  largely  upon  the  possibility  of 
bringing  these  distances  between  the  feet  back  to 
the  normal,  which  can  be  done  provided  the  fault 
of  an  open  or  close  locomotion  behind  is  not  a 
matter  of  a  faulty  construction  or  conformation 
of  the  hind  quarters.  In  all  excessive  approach 
of  fore  and  hind  feet  and  their  consequent  inter- 
ference we  should  not  entirely  work  on  the  hind 
feet,  but  should  also  consider  the  fore  feet  as  be- 
ing somewhat  responsible  for  too  great  a  back- 
ward extension  and  vicious  curves  of  motion.  For 
instance,  trotters  that  paddle  and  pacers  that  hit 
their  knees  are  both  subject  to  such  an  interfer- 
ence with  the  hind  feet.  The  remedies  for  cross 
firing  are  mainly  obtained  by  modifying  the  in- 
ward curves  as  in  the  previous  defects  discussed, 
and  by  controlling  or  rather  by  developing  the 
hind  action  by  shoes  that  bring  about  slightly  more 
elevation  and  backward  extension  of  the  hind  legs. 
(5)  Forging  and  Scalping. 
This  defect  is  due  mostly  to  (i)  lack  of  ex- 
tension of  fore,  and  (2)  extension  of  hind  ;  that  is 
to  say,  presuming  that  the  motion  of  the  legs  is 
straight  and  the  foot  level,  we  may  still  have  a 
very  faulty  adjustment  of  the  foot  by  having  a 
wrong  angle  of  the  foot  or  too  long  or  too  short 
a  length  of  toe.     As  a  rule,  a  long  toe  or  a  low 


134        CAKE  AND  TRAINING  OF  TROTTERS  AND  PACERS. 

angle,  or  both,  will  increase  extension  and  decrease 
elevation  or  action,  while  a  greater  angle  or  a 
short  toe,  or  both,  will  decrease  extension  and  in- 
crease elevation  or  action,  other  things  being  equal. 
In  most  cases  of  forging  the  hind  action  has  the 
usual  fault  of  low  elevation  with  extreme  forward 
extension.  It  has  always  been  my  opinion  that 
the  hind  action  of  both  trotter  and  pacer  has  been 
much  neglected  as  far  as  shoeing  is  concerned. 
All  sorts  of  devices  are  contrived  to  stop  the  hind 
extension  without  directing  it  into  greater  eleva- 
tion and  backward  extension.  Most  horses  should 
have  more  backward  extension  because  it  is  this 
that  causes  propulsion  in  an  eminent  degree. 
Merely  checking  the  forward  extension  by  higher 
heels,  calks,  etc.,  does  not  convert  it  into  back- 
ward action;  but  a  shoe  that  will  lift  the  foot 
higher,  such  as  more  weight,  square  i  toes,  \ocker 
motion  shape  with  sharp  rim  at  toe,  and  hee'.  calks 
with  rather  short  heels,  and  other  devices  such  as 
our  skillful  farriers  can  be  depended  on,  will  tend 
to  divert  this  forward  extension  into  higher  action, 
and  gradually  also  into  backward  extension,  with- 
out imposing  any  absolute  checks  to  the  hind 
motion  that  do  so  much  toward  causing  skipping 
and  running  behind.  In  these  few  words  of  ad- 
vice lies  also  the  remedy  for  forging  and  scalping. 
(6)  Elbow  Hitting. 
Every  once  in  a  while  an  elbow  hitter  is  being 
gradually  developed  from  a  trotter  with  good  and 


THE  SIX  PHIN'CIPAL  DEFECTS   IN   (JAlT.  l3o 

bold  front  action,  l)nt  perhaps  little  action  behind. 
Xext  to  hopples  on  a  pacer  the  sight  of  elbow 
boots  on  a  trotter  is  the  greatest  abomination  at 
the  races.  They  are  the  slow  result  of  inefficient 
shoeing  and  indiscriminate  use  of  toe  weights.  An 
increase  in  the  hind  action  or  elevation  would  by 
itself  modify  the  high  front  action.  Furthermore 
a  shoe  that  does  not  roll  or  slip,  together  with  a 
reasonably  long  toe  and  fairly  low  angle  of  the 
foot,  would  comprise  the  remedy  in  a  general  way. 
As  in  the  other  cases,  we  should  always  remember 
that  while  we  work  on  one  extremity  we  should 
not  neglect  to  do  something  at  the  other  end  be- 
cause of  the  intimate  relation  that  ever  exists  be- 
tween fore  and  hind  action. 

Miscellaneous. 
When  a  trotter  or  pacer  tries  to  recover  lost 
ground  because  of  a  deficient  extension  of  either 
one  fore  or  one  hind  leg,  we  notice  that  distressing 
and  laboring  motion  familiar  to  all  observers  of 
a  horse  driven  beyond  his  capacity  or  to  his  limit 
before  being  in  proper  condition  for  such  a  trial. 
These  revolutions  in  front  and  hops  behind  always 
indicate  an  uneven  extension  between  the  two  fore 
and  the  two  hind  legs  ;  that  is  to  say.  one  leg  pre- 
cedes its  mate  to  too  great  an  extent  for  the  good 
of  a  square  gait.  It  is  then  that  trainers  are  ape 
to  "take  it  out  of  a  horse"  by  trying  to  wipe  out 
this  "rough"  gait  by  a  still  greater  speed  and  moro 
severe  training.     From  my  point  of  view  as  an  in- 


136        CAKE  AM)  TRAINING  OF  TIJOTTKKS  AND  PACERS. 

vestigator  of  faulty  gaits  and  one  who  knows  the 
effectiveness  and  simpHcity  of  the  remedies  sug- 
gested, such  a  course  is  sheer  folly  and  only  ag- 
gravates matters  by  confusing  and  exhausting  the 
intelligent  horse.  In  these  annoying  unequal  ex- 
tensions of  the  legs  the  use  of  a  heavier  shoes  or 
a  toe  weight  on  one  foot  only,  or  of  a  different 
adjustment  regarding  the  angle  and  length  of  toe 
of  one  foot  as  compared  with  its  opposite  mate, 
have  always  proved  to  be  very  effective  remedies, 
either  permanent  or  temporary,  when  carefully 
applied  and  given  time  to  work  out.  Again,  the 
legs  at  either  extremity  are  sometimes  of  unequal 
lengths,  the  same  as  with  many  human  beings,  and 
a  longer  hoof  or  thicker  shoe,  or  both,  will  soon 
straighten  out  the  defective  gait  into  a  square  one. 
Shifting  to  one  side  behind  or  carrying  the  head 
to  one  side  are  defects  that  need  something  besides 
the  usual  pole,  because  the  root  of  the  evil  lies 
deeper  than  these  external  applications  can  pos- 
sibly remedy.  They  may  be  all  right  as  auxiliaries, 
but  the  gait  should  be  analyzed  by  measurements 
so  that  a  better  remedy  can  be  found  in  the  way  of 
a  different  adjustment  of  the  foot  and  shoe.  The 
carriage  of  the  head  and  its  elevation  play  quite 
a  part  in  proper  balance,  and  the  check  line  is  re- 
sponsible for  many  of  the  evils  of  a  disordered 
gait.  A  free  head  promotes  a  pleasant  mouth.  It 
is  a  great  pity  that  most  of  our  harness  horses  are 
hard  mouthed  and  therefore  very  unpleasant  road- 


THE   SIX  rKINClPAI.  DEFECTS   IN   GAIT.  137 

sters.  Tlie  control  of  the  horse  lies  more  in  the 
proper  gaiting-  and  balancing  and  therefore  in  the 
resulting  confidence  of  the  horse  in  the  man  be- 
hind him  than  it  does  in  the  holders  on  the  lines. 
Each  animal  may  be  taken  as  a  specific  case,  but 
the  principles  herein  upheld  will  apply  to  any  de- 
fect in  gait.  How  to  apply  them  well  and  sensibly 
will  demand  a  thorough  investigation  of  the  loco- 
motion of  that  particular  animal. 


13S        CAUK   ANI>   T1;AI.\IX(;   of    IKOT'lKItS   AM)   PACERS. 


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Chapter  IX — Types  of  Shoes. 

1]Y  DR.  JACK  SEITER. 

The  large  cut  on  this  page  represents  thirteen 
styles  of  standard  shoes  in  use  today  to  correct 
various  defects  of  2;ait.    The   shoes   from   which 


THE   SIX   PRINCIPAL  DEFECTS   IN   GAIT.  139 

the  photograph  was  taken  were  made  by  me  for  a 
subscriber  of   "The    Horseman." 

There  are  four  well  known  shoes  not  illustrated ; 
(a)  the  plain  front  shoe,  which  should  be  used 
wherever  possible;  (b)  the  plain  front  bar  shoe, 
which  gives  frog  pressure;  (c)  the  half  swedged 
front  shoe,  an  excellent  shoe  to  prevent  knee- 
knocking  in  some  horses;  and  (d)  the  side-weight 
shoe,  intended  to  prevent  knee-knocking,  but  it  is 
a  freak  shoe  seldom  used  and  we  do  not  recom- 
mend it. 

The  numbers  of  the  following  paragraphs  refer 
to  the  name  numbers  in  the  cut  on  the  previous 
page. 

(i)  ]^Iemphis  Xub  Shoe. — This  is  a  modified 
form  of  the  Memphis  Bar  Shoe  (see  Style  9)  and 
has  practically  replaced  it  as  a  shoe  to  gait  trotting 
colts  with.  It  is  used  where  a  rolling  motion  is 
needed.  An  eight  ounce  shoe  of  this  kind  gives 
practically  the  same  amount  of  rolling  that  for- 
merlv  required  a  shoe  of  twice  the  weight. 

(2)  Rim  Shoe. — This  is  an  ideal  pacing  shoe 
where  a  horse  needs  a  good  foothold.  Unlike  the 
calked  shoe  it  requires  no  effort  on  the  animal's 
part  in  breaking  over  on  the  toe.  The  material  can 
be  bought  in  all  sizes  and  consequently  it  is  a 
simple  matter  to  obtain  any  desired  weight  of  shoe. 
It  also  makes  a  good  form  of  hind  shoe. 

(3)  Sv^EDGED  Shoe. — This  is  an  ideal  type  of 
shoe  on  trotters  as  it  is  easily  fitted  and  furnishes  a 


140        CAKE   AM>   TKAIXING    OF  TH0TT?:KS  AND   PACEKS. 

g-ood  flat  bearing  surface,  together  with  a  firm 
foothold  on  either  a  hard  or  soft  track.  It  does 
away  with  the  toe  grab  and  its  difficult  break-over. 
It  usuall}-  works  better  when  fitted  with  a  pair  of 
heels  or  jar  calks  to  break  the  concussion  on  a  hard 
track.  It  also  makes  a  good  foundation  for  a  bar 
shoe.  The  swedged  shoe  works  well  behind  also ; 
it  gives  the  horse  a  perfect  toe  grab  without  any 
elevation  of  the  toe  and  with  no  danger  of  a  badly 
cut  quarter,  which  is  often  caused  by  the  ordinary 
toe  grab.  A  swedged  shoe  is  considerably  lighter  in 
weight  than  a  plain  grab  shoe  and  at  the  same  time 
furnishes  a  better  surface  for  the  foot.  The  op- 
ponents of  the  swedged  shoe  say  the  swedge  fills 
up  with  dirt,  but,  as  someone  else  has  asked,  what 
gives  a  better  foothold  on  dirt  than  dirt  itself? 

(4)  ScooPED-RoLLED  ToE  Shoe. — This  is  an 
excellent  type  of  shoe  for  trotters,  as  it  allows  a 
free  break-over  while  the  ridge  which  separates  the 
roll  and  scoop,  when  properly  made,  furnishes  a 
fair  grab  or  hold  to  prevent  slipping  back. 

(5)  Four-Calk  Shoe. — This  form  of  shoe  has 
not  been  in  great  demand  of  late  years,  but  at  one 
time  was  very  widely  used  as  an  anti-knee  knocking 
shoe.  The  four  sharp  calks  were  supposed  to  keep 
the  foot  from  making  a  twist  when  about  to  leave 
the  ground. 

(6)  Scooped  Toe  Bar  Shoe. — This  is  an  anti- 
elbow  hitting  shoe  invented  by  Ren  Nash  and  has 


THE   SIX   PRINCIPAL  DEFECTS   IX   GAIT.  141 

been  used  with  great  success  on  several  well-known 
horses,  but  its  general  use  is  not  advised. 

(7)  Three-Calk  Pacing  Shoe. — This  is  a 
good  form  of  shoe  for  a  bold,  high-going  pacer; 
the  calks  minimize  the  concussion  and  the  toe  rim 
furnishes  a  firm  foothold.  This  is  the  style  of  shoe 
worn  by  Dan  Patch  in  all  of  his  fast  miles. 

(8)  Three-Calk  Trotting  Shoe. — This  is  a 
style  of  shoe  widely  used  ;  the  calks  break  the  con- 
cussion on  hard  tracks  and  the  grab  gives  a  good 
foothold.  The  grab  is  set  back  from  the  toe  so  as 
to  give  an  easy  break-over. 

(9)  Memphis  Bar  Shoe. — This  shoe  was  very 
popular  several  years  ago,  but  was  the  cause  of 
many  bad  tendons  owing  to  the  hind  bar  being  set 
ahead  too  far  from  the  point  of  the  heels,  letting 
the  foot  drop  down  too  low.  The  strain  of  getting 
up  and  over  this  bar  caused  much  injury  to  ten- 
dons. The  forward  bar  supplied  what  little  virtue 
the  shoe  possessed,  as  it  furnished  a  good  roll  and 
breakover.  See  notation  on  the  Memphis  Xub 
Shoe  (Style  i). 

fio)  Half  Swedged  Oblique  Toe  Shoe. — This 
shoe  is  used  for  pacers.  The  swedge  part  furnishes 
a  firm  foothold  and  prevents  the  foot  from  being 
carried  in  too  far.  The  hoof  is  left  projecting  over 
the  oblique  toe,  the  sharp  edge  of  the  hoof  being 
rounded  off  to  prevent  cutting  the  quarter.  This 
shoe  may  be  used  without  heel  calks,  especially 
where  inside  cannot  be  cut  low  enough  to  put  the 


142        CARE  AND  TRAINING  OF  TROTTERS  AND  PACERS. 

foot  in  proper  shape.  The  hoof  of  a  cross-firing 
horse  must  he  cut  low  along  the  inside,  especially 
the  inside  toe. 

(ii)  Hind  Pacing  Shoe. — This  hind  shoe,  like 
the  Style  7  front  shoe,  is  for  use  on  a  bold,  high- 
going  pacer.  The  toe  grab  runs  down  the  outside 
pretty  well  and  if  the  foot  is  properly  dressed  the 
grab  prevents  a  horse  from  going  over  to  the 
opposite  quarter  and  cross-firing.  This  shoe  was 
worn  by  Dan  Patch  in  his  trials  against  time. 
When  the  horse  has  a  long,  sloping  pastern  and 
the  low  heels  which  usually  go  with  it,  it  is  ad- 
visable to  use  a  long  high  side-calk  on  the  outside 
heel  or  else  let  the  toe  grab  follow  the  oirter  edge 
of  the  shoe  all  the  way  to  the  heel. 

(12)  Hind  Trotting  Shoe. — This  style  of  shoe 
is  used  more  than  any  other  on  the  hind  feet  of 
trotters  (generally  without  the  toe  calk).  Where 
a  grab  is  needed  set  the  calk  back  well  so  as  not  to 
be  dangerous  in  case  a  quarter  is  struck. 

(13)  Half-Swedged  Cross-Firing  Shoe. — 
This  shoe  is  the  same  as  Style  10  except  that  the 
toe  is  not  oblique.  It  is  the  shoe  generally  used  on 
pacers.  The  swedge  part  furnishes  a  firm  foothold 
and  prevents  the  foot  from  being  carried  in  too  far, 
while  the  inside  is  half  rounded. 


FEEDING. 


143 


Chapter  X— Feeding. 


1  il{  chief  t'urms  of  life  are  ani- 
f?^^  mal.  plant  and  mineral.  The 
chief  f  o  o  (1  of  animals  are 
plants,  and  the  chief  food  of 
plants  are  mineral,^.  Plants  in 
i^rowing  absorb  certain  ele- 
ments from  the  ground  and  air. 
Animals  in  eating'  absorb  certain  elements  from 
these  plants.  The  refuse  of  animals  goes  back  to 
earth  and  aids  the  growth  of  new  animal  food. 

A  detailed  study  of  the  cjuestion  of  feeds  and 
feeding  would  recjuire  a  large  sized  volume  in  it- 
self. We  will  mention  only  the  important  fea- 
tures. Introductory  to  our  main  subject  we  will 
insert  a  few  brief  ])aragraphs,  more  or  less  dis- 
connected, relating  to  the  physiology  of  horses. 

Colin  estimates  that  a  horse  requires  1^4  hours 
to  masticate  4  pounds  of  dry  hay  during  which 
period  saliva  is  poured  out  at  the  rate  of  from 
II  to  13  pounds  per  hour.  He  states  that  if  the 
food  of  a  horse  for  one  day  amounts  to  1 1  pounds 
of  hay  and  11  pounds  of  other  dry  fodder  thi^ 
will  re(|uire  four  times  its  weight  of  saliva,  or  88 
pounds.  Saliva  consists  of  992  parts  water  out 
of    1. 000. 


144        CAUE  AND  TRAINING  OF  TROTTERS  AND  PACERS. 

The  Stomach  of  the  horse  contains  from  17  to 
19  quarts.  The  small  intestine  is  y^y^  feet  long, 
the  large  intestine  24I/2  feet  long. 

An  important  feature  of  any  food  is  digestibil- 
ity. Crushing  or  steaming  food  does  not  increase 
digestibility,  neither  does  a  keen  appetite  result- 
ing from  hard  labor  do  so.  Horses  digest  less  of 
a  food  than  cows  and  sheep.  The  digestibility  of 
coarse  fodder  is  not  increased  by  the  addition  of 
other  feeds.  The  normal  body  retains  only  about 
1%  of  the  food  passing  into  it  each  day.  About 
one-quarter  of  the  daily  waste  from  the  body  is 
by  respiration,  about  one-sixth  as  urine,  the  re- 
mainder as  solid  excrement. 

The  composition  of  the  customary  feeds  is  as 
follows : 

Total  digestible  substance 
Total  In  100  lbs.  in  100  lbs. 

Dry.  Carbo- 

Feeds.                           Water.  matter.  Protein,     hydrates.     Fat. 

(Roughage.)                       lbs.  lbs.  lbs.  lbs.  lbs. 

Corn   stalks    40.5  59.5  1.7  32.4  0.7 

Red   clover   nay 15.3  84.7  6.8  35.8  1.7 

Timothy    hay    13.2  86.8  2.8  43.4  1.5 

Oat    straw    9.2  90.8  1.2  38.6  0.8 

Alfalfa    8.4  91.6  11.0  39.6  1.2 

(Concentrates.) 

Corn,   dent   10.6  89.4  7.8  66.7  4.3 

Oats     11.0  89.0  9.2  47.3  4.2 

Wheat   bran    11.9  88.1  12.2  39.2  2.7 

Linseed   meal    (0.    P.  i 9.2  90.8  29.3  32.7  7.0 

(Green    forage.) 

Kentucky    blue    grass 80.0  20.0  2.5  10.2  0.5 

Timothy    61.6  38.4  1.2  19.1  0.6 

Sorghum     79.4  20.6  0.6  12.2  0.4 

Red    clover    70.8  29.2  2.9  14.8  0.7 

Alfalfa      71.8  28.2  3.9  12.7  0.5 

Green    corn    fodder 79.3  20.7  1.0  11.6  0.4 

(Ensilage.) 

Corn 79.1  20.9  0.9  11.3  0.7 

Sorghum     76.1  23.9  0.6  14.9  0.2 

Alfalfa    72.5  27.5  3.0  8.5  1.9 


FEEDING.  145 

It  is  estimated  that  a  horse  at  medium  work 
needs  24  pounds  of  dry  matter  a  day  from  which 
he  will  obtain  2  pounds  of  protein,  11  of  carbo- 
hydrates and  6-10  of  a  pound  of  fat. 

The  average  weight  of  a  trotting  foal  at  birth 
is  no  pounds.  It  gains  about  3  pounds  a  day  the 
first  month,  2^^  pounds  during  the  second  month, 
2Yx  pounds  daily  the  third  month  and  2  pounds 
daily  the  fourth  month. 

Protein  (pronounced  pro'te-in,  with  the  o  as 
in  old,  e  as  in  event,  i  as  in  ill)  is  a  tissue  building 
element. 

Carbohydrates  and  fats  produce  heat  and 
energy.  The  heat  value  of  fats  is  2^14  times  as 
great  as  carbohydrates. 

Oats  have  long  been  considered  the  best  and 
safest  grain  for  horses.  There  is  less  danger  in 
overfeeding  oats  than  any  other  grain  because  the 
digestive  tract  cannot  hold  enough  oats  long 
enough  to  produce  serious  disorders.  Oats  should 
be  fed  whole.  New  oats  are  considered  a  dan- 
gerous feed  by  some.  Musty  oats  should  be 
avoided. 

Barley  is  preferred  to  oats  as  a  horse  food  by 
the  Arabs,  but  on  account  of  its  cost  is  not  widely 
used  in  America  except  on  the  Pacific  Coast.  It 
should  be  fed  whole  or  crushed,  but  not  ground. 

Wheat  may  be  fed  occasionally  or  as  a  part  of 
a   horse's   rations,   but   it  is   not   advisable   to  use 


146        CAIJK   AM)   TRAINING   OF   TKO'ITKKS   AM)    I'ArER??. 

wheat  alone  as  a  grain  ration  as  it  will  derange  thu 
digestion. 

Bran  and  shorts  has  been  proven -by  experi- 
ment to  be  of  almost  equal  value  to  oats. 

Corn  is  a  common  food  for  horses.  It  is  not 
quite  equal  to  oats,  but  its  low  cost  compensates 
for  any  inferiority.  It  is  best  suited  to  horses 
at  plain  steady  work.  It  is  not  suited  to  growing 
colts  or  horses  in  training  because  of  lack  of  ash 
and  protein  and  excess  of  carbohydrates.  For 
work  horses  6}^  pounds  of  corn  and  12  pounds  of 
oats  makes  a  nicely  balanced  daily  ration. 

Clean  timothy  hay  will  always  be  the  standard 
roughage  for  horses.  Clover  hay  and  alfalfa,  if 
free  from  dirt  and  well  cured,  are  valuable  feeds 
because  of  their  high  content  of  protein.  Their 
use  is  not  adaptable  to  horses  in  active  service  but 
it  may  be  fed  to  growing  colts  or  idle  horses. 
Corn  fodder  if  cured  in  the  shock  and  free  from 
dust  is  an  excellent  roughage,  also  bright  clean 
straw  if  the  horse  has  time  for  thorough  masti- 
cation. There  should  be  a  definite  allowance  of 
hay  for  the  horse  at  each  feeding  time.  It  is  a 
mistake  to  keep  filled  mangers  of  hay  in  front  of 
a  horse. 

The  proper  feeding  of  mares  with  suckling 
colt  is  important.  Good  pasture  grass  is  the  best 
but  if  this  is  not  available,  and  if  the  mare  fails 
to  supply  proper  nourishment,  feed  oats,  rolled 
barley  or  wheat  bran,  with  an  equal  part  of  corn 


FEEDING.  147 

or  corn  and  cob  meal.  If  the  mare's  milk  is  too 
rich  her  rations  should  be  restricted  and  some  of 
her  milk  drawn  by  the  groom. 

Weanlings  are  usually  fed  on  oats,  but  if  they 
are  troubled  from  teething  steamed  crushed  oats 
or  barley,  thickened  with  bran,  should  be  used 
once  a  day,  preferably  at  night.  A  fair  daily  al- 
lowance of  grain  for  a  weanling  is  from  2  to  3 
pounds  :  from  one  to  two  years,  4  to  5  pounds  ; 
from  two  to  three  years.  7  to  8  pounds. 

Asa  Danforth  says:  "My  plan  has  been  to 
feed  a  growing  colt  all  the  oats  it  will  eat  when 
supplemented  with  bran  and  clover.  I  would  dis- 
like to  raise  a  trotting  colt  without  clover,  or  its 
first  cousin,  alfalfa,  but  they  must  be  absolutely 
free  of  dust." 

If  it  is  necessary  to  rear  a  foal  artificially  and 
if  it  has  never  received  any  of  its  dam's  milk,  it 
should  first  have  a  dose  of  castor  oil.  Cow's  milk 
should  be  fed  to  the  colt  but  it  should  be  diluted 
with  one  fourth  of  its  volume  of  water  and  some 
sugar  added.  The  sugar  used  should  be  at  the 
proportion  of  i  pound  of  sugar  to  100  pounds  of 
the  diluted  milk.  Gruels  made  from  boiled  beans 
or  peas  passed  through  a  sieve,  or  from  oil  meal 
or  shorts  boiled  to  a  jelly,  are  excellent  for  orphan 
colts. 

Horses  should  be  fed  regularly  and,  on  account 
of  small  stomachs,  at  least  three  times  a  day  ;  some 
horsemen  feed  four  times.     The  bulk  of  roughage 


148        CARE  AND  TRAIXIXCx   OF  TROTTERS  AND   PACERS. 

should  be  fed  at  evening.  Horses  should  not  be 
put  to  work  directly  after  eating.  A  horse  should 
be  watered  frequently.  Salt  should  be  kept  before 
a  horse  in  limited  quantities  at  all  times,  but  not 
mixed  with  the  feed. 

The  following  table  of  approximate  weights  of 
various  feeds  may  prove  of  interest : 

One  quart    Wheat,    ground    l.T 

weighs  in     Wheat,   bran    0.5 

Feeds.  pounds.       Oats     1.0 

Corn    1.7     Oats,    ground     0.7 

Corn   meal    1.5     Rye    1.7 

Corn   bran    0.5    Barley   1.5 

Corn   and    cob    meal 1.4     Linseed  meal    ( O.    P. ) 1.1 

Wheat    2.0    Linseed  meal    (N.   P.) 0.9 

How  to  Feed  and  Water. 

In  the  feeding  of  horses  remember  that  the 
horse  digests  oats  in  the  stomach  and  takes  care 
of  water  and  hay  in  the  large  intestines.  For  this 
reason  the  feeding  and  watering  should  be  con- 
ducted upon  the  following  theoretical  plan :  Water 
first,  then  hay,  then  oats.  Mastication  of  the  food 
is  absolutely  necessary  in  horses  that  are  to  do 
well  and  escape  indigestion  of  any  kind.  Where 
ground  food  is  given  it  is  taken  into  the  stomach 
without  much  mastication,  hence  it  is  not  properly 
mixed  with  saliva  which  is  necessary  for  its  sub- 
sequent digestion.  When  oats  are  in  process  of 
mastication,  four  times  its  bulk  of  saliva  is  se- 
creted in  the  mouth  and  this  is  needed  to  digest 
it.  Where  corn  meal  is  fed,  but  a  quarter  of  the 
proper  amount  of  saliva  is  secreted  and  so  on  with 
the  other  ground  foods. 


FEEDING 


149 


Water  Before  Grain. 
The  stomach  of  the  horse  holds  but  3^  gallons. 
If  he  eats  his  oats,  which  remain  in  the  stomach 
for  digestion,  and  then  drinks  four  or  five  gallons 
of  water,  the  latter,  as  explained  above,  passes 
through  the  stomach  and  lodges  in  the  large  in- 
testines, and  in  doing  so  must  of  necessity  wash 
out  undigested  oats  into  the  intestines,  where  they 
are  not  digested,  but  decompose  and  set  up  irrita- 
tion or  give  forth  gas,  which  causes  colic. 

Schedule  for  Feeding. 
Feed  the  horse  hay  after  drinking  water  the 
first  thing  in  the  morning  and  his  oats  after  the 
small  am^ount  of  hay  has  been  eaten;  at  noon, 
water,  then  oats ;  at  night,  water,  then  oats,  and 
two  hours  afterwards  all  the  hay  he  will  clean  up 
before  morning.  More  than  twenty  pounds  of 
hay  should  never  be  offered  to  any  horse,  no  mat- 
ter how  large  and  heavy  he  may  be.  Hay  should 
not  be  kept  in  front  of  a  horse  all  of  the  time,  as 
it  is  on  many  farms ;  so  used  it  is  a  positive  detri- 
ment, rather  than  a  benefit  to  the  animal. 

Feeding  Colts. 

wh^t  is  the  best  system  and  food  for  yearling  colts  through  the 
wintef  montt,  to  make  them  thrive  and  grow?  Am  feeding  on  good 
oats  and  Lay'  bnt  if  there  is  any  ^"f  titute  7^^^"  \/\^"  ^f^^^  ^ 
desired   results   T   would  like   very  much  to  kno«    it.     (1.    i..    h..    iii.  ■ 

We  should  advise  feeding  a  mixture  of  60  per 


!-.()   CAKE  AND  TRAINING  OF  TROTTERS  AND  PACERS. 

cent  ground  oats,  15  per  cent  corn  meal  and  10  per 
cent  bran  and  15  per  cent  cut  alfalfa  hay.  Allow 
the  colts  to  clean  up  all  they  want  of  this  mixture. 
At  the  Wisconsin  experiment  station  1 1  colts  were 
thus  fed  and  they  each  consumed  on  an  average 
16:5  pounds  of  the  mixture  per  day.  They  were 
draft  colts,  however,  and  light  bred  colts  will  take 
less  in  proportion.  During  the  feeding  period, 
which  ranged  from  140  to  223  days,  the  foals 
gained  2.1  pounds  per  day  at  an  average  cost  of  18 
cents.  The  estimated  average  cost  of  feed  for  the 
foals  for  the  entire  first  year  was  $51.66.  Year- 
ling colts  will  do  well  enough  on  whole  oats  and  we 
should  add  at  least  a  sixth  part  of  wheat  bran  by 
weight,  along  with  mixed  clover  and  timothy  hay, 
or  part  timothy  hay. 

Some  breeders  are  feeding  skim-milk  to  growing 
colts  and  have  had  good  results.  Instead  of  allow- 
ing the  colts  to  drink  the  milk,  a  good  plan  is  to 
use  the  milk  to  wet  the  feed  at  meal  time.  A  quart 
twice  a  day  is  helpful,  although  some  feed  a  larger 
quantity.  Care  must  be  taken  not  to  cause  scour- 
ing, or  "pot  belly."  In  addition  to  oats,  bran  and 
hay,  allow  the  colts  carrots,  or  even  a  little  nicely 
made  corn  silage  ;  but  do  not  give  silage  and  milk 
together.  Oat  straw  and  bright  corn  stover  also 
are  useful  as  part  of  the  roughage  for  growing- 
colts, —  (Answer  by  Dr.  A,  S.  Alexander.) 


Chronic  Indigestion. 

By   Dr.    A.    S,    Alexander. 

There  is  on  ahnost  every  stock  farm,  where 
horses  are  kept,  at  least  one  horse  that  does  not  ''do 
well."  His  coat  is  coarse  and  stands  on  end;  his 
urine  at  times  is  plentiful,  but  at  other  times  scant 
and  like  honey.  When  he  stands  in  the  barn  for 
one  day  without  work  or  exercise,  his  hind  legs 
stock  up  and  when  he  is  put  to  work  he  sweats 
easily  and  without  hard  labor  or  sweats  profuse- 
ly after  he  is  placed  in  the  barn  at  noon  or  night. 
He  is  a  ravenous  eater  and  gets  all  he  wants  to 
eat,  but  is  not  satisfied  and  so  proceeds  to  eat  his 
bedding.  If  he  is  watched  closely,  it  will  be  seen 
that  he  has  the  habit  of  raising  his  upper  lip  as 
if  yawning;  his  manure  differs  in  composition 
from  time  to  time.  Sometimes  it  is  composed  of 
small,  hard,  dry  balls ;  at  other  times  the  balls 
are  larger  and  covered  with  slime ;  again  it  comes 
in  masses,  undigested  and   foul  smelling. 

The  horse  is  troubled  with  chronic  indigestion 
and  such  animals  usually  bolt  their  food  without 
proper  mastication.  Examination  will  sometimes 
disclose  the  fact  that  the  molar  teeth  are  in  such 
condition  that  proper  mastication  is  impossible. 
It  should  be  understood  by  all  owners  of  horses 
that  the  molar  teeth  in  the  horse  do  not  com- 
pletely pass  each  other  when  chewing.  The  outer 
edge  of  the  upper  molars  and  the  inner  edge  of 


152        ("ARK  AND  TKAIXIXG   OF   TROTTEKS  AM)   PACERS. 

the  lower  molars  in  time  becoming  long  and  sharp 
and  interfere  with  proper  mastication.  This  neces- 
sitates having  the  teeth  "floated"  (filed  down) 
once  a  year  after  the  horse  is  seven  years  of  age. 

The  first  step,  therefore,  in  seeking  to  cure  the 
chronic  indigestion  alluded  to  is  to  have  the  teeth 
put  in  good  order  by  a  veterinary  dentist.  To  go 
back  a  little,  it  should  be  mentioned  that  as  a  rule 
in  practice  we  find  most  of  these  cases  in  barns 
that  are  close  from  poor  ventilation,  dirty  from 
lack  of  cleaning  and  damp  from  improper  drain- 
age of  the  building  site  or  from  inadequate  meas- 
ures adopted  for  removal  or  absorption  of  liquid 
excreta.  We  also  find  the  same  condition  existing 
where  horses  are  given  very  hard  water  to  drink, 
where  sewage  impregnates  the  drinking  water, 
and  where  drinking  water  is  habitually  given  after 
instead  of  before  feeding. 

The  teeth  having  been  attended  to,  the  next 
thing  is  to  stop  bolting  of  the  food,  and  for  this 
purpose  practical  horsemen  place  the  feed  in  an 
extra  large,  shallow  feed  box  or  put  a  few  cobble 
stones  in  the  feed  box  or  mix  a  handful  of  old, 
dry,  hard  shelled  corn  or  field  peas  among  the 
oats  or  use  one  of  the  patent  boxes. 

To  stimulate  secretion  of  saliva,  rock  salt  should 
be  kept  before  the  horse  at  all  times,  and  when 
this  is  done  he  will  drink  more  water  and  should 
always  have  it  before  but  not  after  feeding. 


<U{OOMI\G   A   HORSE   ON   RACE   DAY. 


Chapter  XI — Grooming  a  Horse  on  Race  Day. 

OMPETEXT  grooms  need  no 
instructions.  If  your  groom  is 
not  competent  and  you  can  get 
one  that  is.  by  all  means  do  so. 
Bankers  who  will  not  allow  the 
most  trusted  employe  out  of 
their  sight  with  $10,000  will 
often  turn  a  $10,000  horse  over  to  an  incompetent 
groom.     If  a  man  goes  wrong  you  can  sometimes 


recover  a  salvage. 


If  a  valuable  horse  goes  wrong 


the  loss  is  almost  total. 

This  chapter  is  not  written  for  the  man  who  has 
a  competent  groom.  It  was  written  in  response  to 
the  following  request:  'T  am  located  in  a  small 
town  where  there  is  no  professional  trainer  and  no 
competent  grooms.  Several  of  us  young  fellows 
organized  a  small  driving  club.  We  train  and  take 
care  of  our  own  horses.  Can  you  not  give  us  an 
article  on  grooming  a  horse  on  race  day?" 

The  chapter  is  written  for  the  amateur  who 
takes  care  of  his  own  horse,  or  who  has  an  incom- 
petent groom.  The  original  inquiry  was  published 
in  "The  Horseman"  with  replies  from  two  prom- 
inent trainers.  This  chapter  is  a  combination  of 
their  replies. 

Fifty  per  cent  of  the  success  of  a  race  horse  is 
due  to  the  care  he  gets  in  the  stable  and  between 


ItA       CARE  AND  TRAIXIXG  OF  TROTTERS  AXD  PACERS. 

heats  and  in  cooling  out  after  a  race  or  workout. 

On  race  day  a  horse  should  be  fed  at  the  usual 
hour  in  the  morning.  After  he  is  through  eating, 
strip  off  his  bandages  and  sponge  off  his  legs  with 
a  damp  sponge.  Give  each  leg  ten  or  fifteen  min- 
utes hand  rubbing.  Then  throw  a  blanket  on  the 
horse  and  give  him  about  a  thirty-minute  walk. 

After  the  walk,  groom  the  horse  (with  curry 
comb,  brush  and  rub-rag).  Put  his  bandages  on 
again  and  give  him  a  light  bunch  of  hay.  If  the 
horse  is  a  hearty  eater  either  tie  him  up  after  he 
has  cleaned  up  the  hay  or  slip  a  muzzle  on  him. 
If  you  should  happen  to  have  a  real  nervous  horse, 
it  is  advisable  to  give  him  a  light  jog  of  about  two 
miles  instead  of  the  walk.  It  does  not  take  a  horse 
of  a  nervous  disposition  long  to  find  out  wdiich  day 
is  race  day.  At  10:30  give  him  about  two-thirds 
of  a  regular  feed.  Give  the  horse  a  rest  of  at  least 
an  hour  and  a  half  after  his  feed  before  starting 
to  warm  up  for  the  race. 

In  warming  up  for  a  race  it  is  customary,  about 
noon,  to  give  him  a  jog  of  about  three  miles  the 
wrong  way  of  the  track.  Then  turn  and  score 
down  a  time  or  two  and  work  the  horse  a  slow 
mile  in  say  2  150  or  3  :oo.  While  the  horse  is  out 
for  his  first  warming  up  mile  get  ready  two  pails 
of  fresh  water,   several  rub  rags  and  scrapers. 

After  the  horse  has  come  in  from  his  first  warm- 
ing up  heat,  strip  off  harness  and  give  him  three 


GROOMING  A  HORSE  ON  RACE  DAV.  1S5 

or   four  swallows  of  water.     Have  a  light  halter 
to  put  on  the  horse,  tie  the  horse  both  ways  with 
tie  straps  or  ropes  long  enough  to  have  free  use 
of  the  head,  throw  a  light  woolen  cooler  over  him. 
Have  him  placed  where  he  can  get  plenty  of  fresh 
air,  but  not  in  a  direct  draught.    Your  horse  wants 
oxygen  to    neutralize  the    carbonic  gas    that  the 
lungs   are   overcharged   with.      We   hear   the   ex- 
pression "He  can't  get  his  breath."     The  facts  are 
that  the  lungs  are  overloaded  with  carbonic  gas 
and  have  hardly  strength  enough  to  expel  it.     Out 
in  the  open  air  (unless  it  is  a  cool  day  or  a  strong 
wind  is  blowing)  is  preferable  to  any  other  place. 
H  it  is  a  long  stable  with  doors  open  at  each  end 
be  sure  to  have  the  head  away  from  the  draught. 
Take  boots  off.  such  as  knee  and  shin  boots,  also 
hind  shin    boots  and    scalpers    or  coronet    boots. 
Many  times  little  pieces  of  gravel  or  dirt  become 
lodged  under  a  scalper  or  coronet  boot.     It  is  also 
well  to  take  a  rub  rag  and  tie  either  above  both 
knees  and  hocks  or  else  just  above  the  hoofs  all 
around.     It  keeps  the  sweat  out  of  the  heels  and 
there  is  nothing  more  troublesome  than  sore  heels. 
They   have   stopped  many  a  horse   from  being  a 
good  race  horse.     After  tying  the  rub  rags  on  take 
a  damp  sponge,  open  his  mouth,  wash  it  out  by 
squeezing  the  sponge  inside  of  his  mouth,  remov- 
ing all   dust  and  foam.     Take  another  spongeful 
of   fresh   water   and   wash   out   the   nostrils  thor- 
oughlv.     Take  another  spongeful  of  fresh  water, 


15(5        CARE  AND   TRAlXING   OF  TROTTERS  AND   RArERS. 

raise  it  to  the  top  of  the  head,  squeeze  it  and  let 
the  water  run  down  at  will  all  over  the  face  and 
head,  take  the  empty  sponge,  wipe  all  the  moisture 
off  the  head  and  face.  Now  give  your  horse  two 
or  three  sw^allows  of  water  from  the  other  clean 
pail  of  water. 

Take  off  the  cooler,  sponge  out  behind  and 
around  flanks  and  hind  legs,  then  scrape  the  sweat 
off.  Scrape  him  lightly  all  over,  the  lighter  the 
better  (do  not  think  you  are  scraping  hogs  after 
they  have  been  scalded).  Then  take  a  damp 
sponge,  go  all  over  your  horse,  the  way  the  hair 
lays,  repeatedly  squeezing  out  the  surplus  mois- 
ture and  rinse  out  your  sponge. 

Throw  a  light  cover  on  him,  not  too  heavy. 
Many  times  you  see  a  horse  with  entirely  too  much 
cover  on.  Do  not  sw-eat  a  horse  any  more  than 
possible  because  it  weakens  him.  After  standing 
for  about  twenty  minutes  turn  the  horse  loose  and 
shake  the  straw-  up  a  little,  and  nine  times  out  of 
ten  he  will  urinate.  It  is  important  for  him  to 
urinate  after  each  heat.  Give  the  horse  another 
swallow  of  water  and  put  harness  and  boots  on 
and  he  is  ready  for  the  next  heat.  The  second 
warming  up  heat  will  probably  be  in  2 130  or  a 
little  better  with  a  brush  at  speed  from  the  dis- 
tance flag  home.  Whether  or  not  the  trainer  goes 
two  or  three  warming  up  heats  depends  on  the 
horse  and  how  fast  it  is  expected  he  will  have  to 
race.     If  he  is  to  race  around  2:10  a  third  warm- 


GJiOOMING  A  H0K8E  OX   RACE  DAY.  157 

ing  Up  heat  in  2  :20  or  better  is  often  given.  When 
the  horse  goes  out  for  the  first  heat  of  the  race  get 
your  body  wash  read\-.  A  common  wash  is  com- 
posed of  equal  parts  of  alcohol,  witchhazel  and 
rain  water. 

When  the  horse  comes  in  after  his  first  heat  he 
will  be  more  or  less  distressed,  often  more  so  than 
after  any  other  heat,  especially  if  he  has  not  been 
properly  trained  and  prepared  for  the  race.  To 
properly  attend  to  a  horse  between  heats  there 
should  be  at  least  two  attendants — some  drivers 
use  as  many  as  four. 

Be  as  quiet  as  possible.  Get  horse  stripped  of 
harness,  boots,  etc.,  as  quickly  as  possible.  Give 
him  a  few  swallows  of  water,  sponge  and  scrape 
him  as  explained  after  the  first  warming  up  mile. 

You  are  now  ready  for  your  body  wash  (the 
best  is  the  cheapest).  A  quart  properly  used 
should  do  for  three  heats.  It  should  be  at  blood 
heat.  Rub  in  a  little  on  the  shoulders  ;  forearms, 
inside  and  out ;  knees  :  back  ;  loins  and  muscles,  in- 
side and  out,  arid  below  the  hock,  giving  good 
hand  rubbing  or  massage.  Do  not  see  how  much 
body  wash  you  can  put  on  the  horse.  Take  plenty 
of  time  rubbing  it  in  and  do  not  scrape  it  right  off. 
After  you  have  given  the  muscles  say  ten  minutes 
rubbing,  just  scrape  it  out  real  light  under  the 
belly  mostly  where  it  is  liable  to  drip.  So  many 
times  you  will  see  a  groom  on  each  side  of  a  horse 
each   with    a  bottle  of    body- wash    wasting  more 


158      carp:  and  training  of  trotters  and  pacers. 

than  he  gets  on  the  horse.  Throw  the  cooler  over 
the  body  again. 

You  are  now  ready  for  the  legs.  With  a  damp 
sponge  clean  the  legs  thoroughly,  take  a  rubbing 
cloth  and  give  them  a  brisk  rubbing  and  be  sure 
to  clean  out  the  heels  thoroughly  and  as  near  dry 
as  time  will  allow  you  and  do  not  be  afraid  to  give 
the  legs  a  good  hand  rubbing.  Give  your  horse 
another  swallow  of  water.  If  it  happens  to  be  a 
real  warm  day,  have  one  man  right  at  the  horse's 
head,  sponging  it  off  constantly.  It  is  also  well  to 
sponge  off  his  side  with  a  cool  sponge  over  the 
lungs.  Let  him  stand  still,  for  as  a  rule  he  needs 
what  rest  he  can  get  betw^een  heats.  If  you  hap- 
pen to  be  near  a  shade  tree,  on  a  real  hot  day,  tie 
him  under  it  between  heats,  for  you  must  give  him 
all  the  fresh  air  he  can  get. 

Turn  the  horse  loose  in  stall  and  see  if  he  will 
urinate.  Give  him  a  swallow  of  water  and  get 
ready  for  next  heat.  Clean  your  boots  with  a 
damp  sponge  if  all  leather  and  dry  them  w^ith  a 
rubbing  cloth.  If  the  boots  are  left  they  should 
have  been  exposed  to  the  sun  if  there  is  any.  Take 
a  good  stiff  brush  and  clean  them  thoroughly. 
Run  your  sponge  over  your  breast  collar  and 
breeching  (if  you  have  them  on  your  harness) 
and  belly  band.  Remove  your  cooler.  Try  w^ith 
your  scraper  to  see  if  there  is  any  surplus  mois- 
ture.    Take  a  dry  rubbing  cloth  and  rub  the  horse 


(JROOMINO    A    HoltSK   OX    I'.ACE   DAY.  159 

lightly,  rubbing  principally  the  way  the  hair  lays. 
Xow  put  on  your  boots  and  wait  until  you  are 
called  for  the  next  heat,  then  give  him  another 
swallow  or  two  of  water  ( if  he  will  take  it )  and 
you  are  ready  to  hitch. 

Follow  the  same  directions  for  each  other  heat 
except  the  last.  Xow  be  careful.  Your  horse  i- 
heated  through  and  through.  Care  must  be  taken 
nor  or  you  may  ruin  your  horse.  Laminitis  and 
similar  troubles  are  some  of  the  results  of  im- 
proper cooling  out  after  a  race.  Under  no  cir- 
cumstance shower  your  horse  or  give  him  a  cold 
water  bath  at  this  stage  (although  you  will  see  it 
done,  it  is  merely  a  question  of  luck  as  to  the  re- 
sult). 

After  the  last  heat  strip  everything  off.  take  a 
pail  of  warm  water  and  sponge  sweat  and  harness 
marks  oft*.  Give  him  a  good  rubbing  all  over  with 
a  good  body  wash  at  blood  heat,  following  with  a 
good  massage.  Run  a  set  of  bandages  loose  on 
his  legs.  Wipe  out  his  heels.  Put  on  a  light 
woolen  blanket  (and  hood  if  necessary)  and  give 
him  a  slow  walk  for  say  ten  minutes.  Bring  him 
in  and  see  if  he  will  scrape  again.  If  so,  remove 
the  surplus  moisture.  Then  give  him  another  light 
rubbing  with  clean,  dry  rubbing  cloth.  Give  him 
a  little  water  and  repeat  the  walk  until  he  is  thor- 
oughly dry,  i)ossibl}-  an  hour  and  a  half  from  the 
time  of  coming  in. 

Xow  change  your  blanket,  a  slightl}'  heavier  one. 


UK)     carp:  and  training  of  trotters  and  pacers. 

if  the  weather  recjuires  it,  or  a  dry  one  of  the  same 
weight.  Do  not  be  in  a  hurry  to  i)ut  him  away. 
It  may  take  you  two  or  three  hours  to  cool  him 
out  thoroughly.  Give  him  a  little  water  frequently 
as  you  walk  him.  If  the  race  has  been  a  hard  and 
long  one  a  few  bites  of  grass  or  wet  hay  will  be 
a  benefit.  Remember  you  can  apparently  cool  him 
out  in  thirty-five  minutes,  but  if  you  want  to  race 
him  the  whole  season  he  will  hardly  last  unless  he 
is  an  iron  horse. 

Assuming  that  the  horse  is  thoroughly  and  prop- 
erly cooled  out  and  it  is  not  dark  let  him  eat  grass 
for  ten  or  fifteen  minutes,  but,  if  after  dark,  brush 
your  horse  all  over  lightly.  Xo  curry  comb  should 
be  used  on  the  body  or  legs.  Give  the  legs  a  thor- 
ough brushing.  See  that  the  heels  are  thoroughly 
cleaned  from  dust  and  dirt.  Xow  give  each  leg 
a  good  hand  rubbing  at  least  five  minutes  to  each 
leg ;  ten  is  better.  Use  a  good  leg  wash,  rub  it  in 
thoroughly  and  run  bandages  on  lightly  again. 
Turn  him  loose  in  the  stall  and  give  him  a  few 
pounds  of  good  hay.  About  an  hour  later  take  the 
bandages  off  and  hand  rub  the  legs  again,  using 
the  leg  wash  as  before  and  put  him  aw^ay  in  cotton 
and  bandages.  His  feet  should  be  cleaned  and 
thoroughly  w^ashed  out  and  stuffed  with  either  oil- 
meal,  poultice,  clay  or  any  other  substance  to  hold 
moisture  during  the  night.  Run  a  pair  of  cold 
water  bandages  around  front  hoofs.    His  feet  may 


(JKOO.MIXG   A   HOKSE   ON   RACE   DAY.  161 

be  the  best  in  the  world  but  there  is  bound  to  be  a 
Httle  fever  in  them  after  a  race. 

Then  give  him  a  bran  mash  consisting  of  three 
quarts  of  boiled  oats,  a  quart  of  bran. 

If  these  directions  are  followed  your  horse 
should  come  out  the  next  morning  none  the  worse 
for  wear.  He  may  have  lost  a  few  pounds  of  flesh. 
You  will  no  doubt  realize  by  this  time  that  the 
caretaker  of  the  trotter  and  pacer  has  at  least  tw^o 
days  in  the  week  when  the  union  hours  of  labor 
are   forgotten. 


Breeding  Statistics. 

(These   statistics   were   compiled   from   carefully   kept   records   of   the 
breeding  operations  at  Allen   Farm,   Pittsfleld,    Mass.,    covering   a 

period  of  23  years   from  1899  to   1911.) 
2,228  mares  were  bred  of  which  1,347  were  owned  by  Allen  Farm. 
881  mares  were  owned  by  others. 

69  individual  stallions  were  used  and  760  individual  mares. 
5,783  covers  were   made,   or  an  average   of  2i/^   per  mare. 
1,595  mares  or  71.59  per  cent  proved  fertile. 
633  mares  or  28.41  per  cent  proved  barren  for  the  season. 
121  barren  mares   f5.43  per  cent  of  whole)   foaled  prematurely. 
The  average  period  of  gestation  was  339.52  days. 
340.21  days  was  the  average  period  of  gestation   for  colts. 
338.79  days  was  the  average  period  of  gestation  for  fillies. 
379  days  was  the  maximum  period  of  gestation  for  a  colt. 
316  days  was  the  minimum  period  of  gestation   for  a  filly. 
82  colts  were  carried  more  than  350  days. 
60  fillies  were  carried  more  than  .350  days. 
98  colts  were  carried  less  than  330  days. 

109  fillies  were  carried  less  than  330  days. 
8  colts  were  carried  one  year  or  more. 

4  fillies  were  carried  one  year  or  more. 

52.47  per  cent  of  the  foals  were  colts. 

47.53  per  cent  of  the  foals  were  fillies. 

70.15  per  cent  of  the  foals  were  bay. 

17.99  per  cent  of  the  foals  were  chestnut. 

6.06  per  cent  of  the  foals  were  brown. 

3.78  per  cent  of  the  foals  were  black. 

2.02  per  cent  of  the  foals  were  gray. 

152  pounds  was  the  maximum  weight  of  colts  at   birth. 

146  pounds  was  the  maximum  weight  of  fillies  at  birth. 

66  pounds  was  the  minimum  weight  of  colts  at  birth. 

74  pounds  was  the  minimum  weight  of  fillies  at  birth. 

110.65  pounds  was  the  average  weight  of  colts  at  birth. 

109.37  pounds  was  the  average  weight  of  fillies  at  birth. 

110  pounds  was  the  general  average  weight  of  foals  at  birth. 


162        CARE  AND   TRAINING   OF   TROTTERS   AND   RACERS. 


Chapter  XII— Miscellany. 
"A    Trainer   at    a    Veterinary    College." 

[Note — I'lider  thp  above  title,  T.  II.  Kindred,  a  ti-ainer,  just 
beginning  a  veterinary  course,  contributed  a  short  but  Instructive 
article  to  the  1914  Christmas  issue  of  "The  Horseman."  One  ot  the 
interesting  features  of  the  article  was  an  enumeration  of  several 
methods  of  trainers'  procedure  which  differs  from  scientific  practice. 
From  the  above  mentioned  article  we  quote  the  following  salient 
paragraphs:] 


HE  first  of  the  important  things 
I  learned  was  why  a  horse 
should  not  be  fed  hay  before  a 
race.  Hay  is  not  digested  in  the 
stomach,  but  passes  into  the 
large  intestines,  where  it  goes 
through  a  process  of  fermenta- 
tion. This  requires  blood  and  draws  it  away  from 
the  muscles  and  tissues,  lessening  the  power  of  en- 
durance, hence  a  horse  that  has  eaten  hay  shortly 
before  a  race  can  not  race  to  his  best  form.  Then, 
again,  a  horse  full  of  hay  is  carrying  weight  that 
contains  verv  little  nourishment.  When  a  horse 
is  warmed  up  the  heart  and  lungs  need  a  larger 
space  to  work  in  and  any  pressure  against  the 
diaphragm  causes  irritation  and  results  in  spasms 
of  diaphragm  (thumps),  acute  indigestion,  etc.  I 
found  that  in  the  morning  a  horse  should  be  wa- 
tered first,  then  allowed  to  eat  a  small  amount  of 
hay,  and  finally  grain.  If  the  grain  is  given  first  the 
hay   will   carry  it   into  the  intestines  before  it  is 


MISCELLANY.  163 

digested.  If  the  water  is  given  last  it  will  carry 
the  grain  into  the  intestines  before  it  is  digested. 
In  either  case  the  grain  will  decompose  and  may 
cause  colic.  At  noon  the  horse  should  have  water 
and  grain.  At  night  water  and  grain,  and  then 
two  hours  later,  after  the  oats  have  been  digested, 
let  him  have  all  the  hav  he  will  clean  up  before 


The  extensor  tendons  extend  down  over  the  out- 
side or  lateral  surface  of  the  front  leg  and  wind 
around  to  the  front.  There  are  no  tendons  on  the 
inside  or  medial  side  of  the  leg.  The  tendons  are 
placed  on  the  outside  to  hold  the  leg  straight, 
otherwise  a  horse  would  be  liable  to  knock  his 
knees.  But  the  foot  should  be  perfectly  level.  If 
the  outside  of  the  hoof  is  the  highest  it  takes  off 
the  tension  of  these  tendons  (which  can  not 
contract),  and  the  result  is  the  horse  stands  base 
wide.  Most  knee-knockers  are  found  to  be  high 
on  the  outside  of  hoof.  Particular  attention 
should  be  paid  to  the  extensor  tendons,  as  they 
have  considerable  to  do  in  establishing  the  gait. 
When  a  horse  is  finishing  tired  at  the  end  of  a  mile 
he  seems  to  lose  control  of  the  tendons  and  his  legs 
wind  in.  In  such  instances  a  common  expression 
is  to  say  that  "he  finished  with  a  thousand  legs." 

Xow,  the  angle  of  the  foot  plays  an  important 
part.  The  tendons  are  inelastic,  so  if  the  heel  is 
too  high  or  too  low  lameness  will  often  result. 
One  or  two  tendons  mav  be  receiving  the  weight 


164        CAKE  AM)   TKAIXING   OF   THOTTEUS   AND   PACERS. 

that  three  or  four  should  carry.  A  horse  that  is 
allowed  to  wear  his  feet  naturally  seldom  is 
troubled  with  lameness.  Take,  for  instance,  the 
western  mustang.  He  may  be  called  on  to  carry  a 
heavy  man  fifty  to  seventy  miles  a  day,  yet  is  sel- 
dom lame  from  tendon  trouble.  He  will  become 
heartbroken  before  his  tendons  give  out. 

In  shoeing  race  horses  we  are  liable  to  get  away 
from  the  natural  angle.  One  authority  states  this 
is  about  47  degrees  in  front  and  54  degrees  behind. 
By  the  way,  I  notice,  from  the  recent  book  pub- 
lished by  "The  Horseman,"  entitled  "Care  and 
Training  of  Trotters,"  that  in  the  years  191 1, 
1912  and  1913  the  average  angle  of  the  prominent 
colt  trotters  and  pacers  of  the  year,  63  cases 
in  all,  was  48^  degrees  in  front  and  522/^  behind. 
The  length  of  the  toes  will  depend  on  the  size  of 
the  horse 

One  other  thought,  and  then  I  must  close.  A 
lot  of  us  trainers  use  a  body  wash  between  heats. 
I  am  commencing  to  wonder  what  good  the  body 
wash  does  when  the  horse  is  perspiring  profusely 
and  throws  ofif  the  wash  as  quickly  as  it  is  applied. 


Walter  Cox  on  Warming  Up  for  a  Race. 

'T  am  not  at  all  sure  that  we  have  got  this  mat- 
ter of  warming  up  horses  for  a  race  figured  out 
right,"  Walter  Cox  said  to  me  one  day  when  the 
conversation  had  turned  to  the  question  of  how 


MISCELLANY.  165 

many  heats  a  two-year-old  trotter  should  be  given 
before  a  race,  and  how  fast  they  should  be — as- 
suming the  colt  to  be  a  first-class  one. 

*'\Mien  Branham  Baughman,  2:04^4,  was  racing 
for  me  on  the  Grand  Circuit,"  Cox  continued, 
"things  happened  one  race  day  so  that  the  fastest 
warm-up  mile  he  got  was  2  130,  yet  he  went  right 
out  and  raced  in  2  104 J/  and  came  back  as  game 
as  anything  you  ever  saw.     How  about  that?" 

In  almost  every  other  department  of  their  work, 
trainers  vary  the  treatment  to  suit  the  individual, 
but  warming  up  for  a  race  seems  to  be  done  about 
the  same  way  all  around,  Cox  being  the  first  man 
I  ever  heard  suggest  that  possibly  the  present  sys- 
tem might  be  vitally  wrong.  As  far  as  two-year- 
olds  go,  it  can  be  said  that,  when  the  day  came  for 
the  first  start  of  Sparkle  Watts,  a  2:10^ — it  was 
at  Kalamazoo — ^Mr.  Geers  gave  the  filly  a  mile  in 
2:17,  preceded,  of  course,  by  a  couple  of  slower 
ones.  In  the  actual  race  that  afternoon,  the  best 
mile  was  2:i95{[.  but.  when  the  warming  up  was 
done,  the  idea  was  to  prepare  for  a  possible  2:15 
mile. 

The  only  two-year-old  trotter  to  beat  2:10  this 
season  is  Cox's  filly,  Native  Spirit,  2:09^,  and  she 
took  that  record  in  beating  Sparkle  Watts  a  race 
at  Columbus,  coming  from  behind  in  each  of  the 
two  heats  trotted.  For  that  race.  Native  Spirit 
was  warmed  up  with  a  mile  in  2  140  and  another 
in  2  :30.  three  heats  not  being  deemed  necessarv. 


166        CAKE  AND   TRAIXIxXG   OF  TROTTERS  AND   PACERS. 

At  Lexington,  there  was  a  three-heat  warm-up, 
and  Native  Spirit  trotted  a  wonderful  race,  her 
gameness  being  something  to  remember.  She  was 
not  right  at  an  edge  that  day,  yet  the  heat  she 
came  nearest  winning  was  the  third,  in  2:11^, 
being  beaten  by  the  merest  fraction  of  a  foot. 

In  the  previous  miles,  the  tactics  that  had  been 
successful  at  Columbus,  were  followed,  Native 
Spirit  trailing,  but,  for  the  third  round,  the  battle 
was  on  from  the  start,  and,  five  feet  from  the  wire, 
it  was  a  guess  which  filly  would  win,  but  Sparkle 
Watts  got  it  by  a  step. 

Every  move  made  by  a  prominent  trainer  of  a 
baby  trotter  which  is  good  enough  to  start  in  the 
two-year-old  stakes,  where  only  the  best  may 
escape  the  distance  flag,  is  of  interest  to  every 
breeder  and  owner  of  young  foals,  as  likewise  is 
the  early  speed  history  of  such  colts.  In  the  case 
of  Sparkle  Watts  and  Native  Spirit,  the  former 
was  trained  enough  as  a  yearling  to  show  2:10 
speed  for  a  quarter,  and  sold  for  a  long  price  on 
the  strength  of  that  showing.  Native  Spirit  re- 
ceived the  usual  handling  given  Walnut  Hall  Farm 
foals  as  yearlings,  the  lessons  being  given  with  a 
lead  pony,  so  she  made  practically  all  her  speed 
after  going  to  the  Cox  establishment  in  the  winter, 
and  was  not  really  straightened  out  and  ready  to 
go  on  with  until  May. — Henry  T.  E.  White  in 
American  Horse  Breeder. 


MISCELLANY.  167 

How  Yearlings  Are  Trained  at  the  Allen  Farm. 

It  is  a  well-known  fact  among  horsemen  that 
Allen  Farm,  of  Pittsfiekl,  Mass.,  keeps  the  most 
complete  system  of  records  of  any  large  trotting 
horse  breeding  establishment.  Even  the  govern- 
ment calls  on  Air.  Allen  for  excerpts  from  his  rec- 
ords. When  a  colt  is  foaled  its  weight  and  meas- 
urements are  entered  on  the  records.  Regularly 
thereafter  while  on  the  farm  the  colt's  weight  and 
measurements  are  taken  and  entered  on  the  rec- 
ords. Among  other  details  recorded  are  the  work- 
outs of  the  colts. 

Every  year  the  yearlings  at  Allen  Farm  get  50 
days  of  systematic  training  between  May  and 
October.  The  training  is  divided  into  four  peri- 
ods, with  intervals  of  rest.  John  Young,  the  man 
who  marked  Axworthy  2:15^,  is  the  trainer. 
This  year  24  yearlings  were  trained,  18  by  Bin- 
gara,  5  by  Bertini,  and  i  by  Del  Coronado.  It  is 
interesting  to  note  what  the  Allen  Farm  records 
show  as  to  the  speed  of  these  babies.  The  follow- 
ing figures  were  furnished  to  Henry  Ten  Eyck 
\Miite,  on  his  request,  by  Air.  Allen,  and  were  in- 
corporated by  Mr.  White  in  a  recent  contribution 
to  the  American  Sportsman : 

Yearlings    by    Bingara. 
Name.  ^S  Mile.         Dam's    sire.       Grandam's     sire. 

Berrian.    b.    c :17Vi>  Kremlin  Kentucky   Prince 

P.arhioii.    b.    o :]"%  Kavalli  Pii?taohio 

Basilia.    b.    f :17i4  Kremlin  America 

Beira.    b.    f :17 V2  Egotist  Expedition 

Berdica,    b.    f :17%  Kremlin  Waltham 

Brillion.    b.    c :17%  Kremlin  Mazatlan 

BIngie   G..   b.    f :1S  Alfred    G.  

Barma.    br.    f :18  Kremlin  Expedition 


CARE   AND   TRAIXINT;   OF  TROTTERS   AND   PACERS. 


Bresca,   b.    f :18i4  Kremlin  Belmont 

Binaxla,   b.    f :1S%  Expedition  Lord    Russell 

Belgay,   b.   f :19  Pistachio  Kentucky   Prince 

Bodoin,   b.   c :19  Kremlin  Lancelot 

Betuline.    br.    f :19%  Kremlin  King  Wilkes 

Belen,    b.    f ' :2u  Kremlin  Belmont 

Bromia,    b.    f :20  Kremlin  Kentucky   Prince 

Beauvais.   b.   c :20  Kremlin  Mazatlan 

Bavius.   gr.   c :20i4  Lancelot  Conwar 

Breen,   b.   c :22y2  Bertini  Robert  McGrepror 

Yearlings    by    Bertini. 

Bertron,    b.    c :17  Bingara  Kremlin 

Bassali,    b.    c :17%      Bingara  Kremlin 

Lucifer,    ch.    c :20  Unknown  Unknown 

Barani,   b.    f :2o  :Mazatlan  Belmont 

Bertori,    b.    c :23  Hisliwood  

Yearlings  by  Del   Coronado. 
Delmore.   blk.   c :23  Milton  S.  

*        *        * 

What   We   Did  on  the   Farm   During   October. 

[Note — The  foUowiufr  letter  by  "Xenophon  Jr."  was  awarded  a  $5 
prize  in  the  October  (1914)  contest  of  "The  Horseman."'  We  would 
like  to  obtain  similar  letter.s  covering  other  mouths.] 

October  was  a  very  busy  month  with  us  on  the 
farm.  To  commence  with,  we  had  a  large  num- 
ber of  yearlings  we  were  getting  ready  for  a  sale. 
We  also  had  about  twenty-five  mares  that  had  to 
be  shipped  to  their  owners.  There  were  also  about 
40  colts  to  wean  and  halter-break.  Most  of  them 
were  given  a  few  lessons  alongside  a  lead  pony. 
It  is  surprising  how  quickly  our  colts  now  grasp 
what  they  are  expected  to  do.  The  amount  of  nat- 
ural speed  some  of  them  can  show  is  marvelous. 

Our  racing  stable  arrived  home  about  the  first 
of  October,  and,  after  resting  them  a  couple  of 
days,  we  began  "letting  them  down."  We  gave 
each  of  the  four  members  three  slow  heats  on  a 
Tuesday.  The  following  Saturday  we  gave  them 
their  last  workout  for  the  season.    After  a  week's 


MISCELLANi'.  169 

more  jogging  we  gave  them  all  a  physic  ball  and 
turned  them  out  in  the  day  time  where  they  could 
have  their  till  of  grass  and  took  them  up  nights. 
W'e  intend  doing  this  until  January  ist,  when  they 
will  commence  with  slow  jog  work  for  the  next 
year's  campaign. 

I  also  had  six  two-year-olds  that  had  been  left 
home,  also  a  green  trotter  and  pacer  that  had  been 
trained  along  slow  during  the  time  1  was  away 
to  the  races;  so  after  a  couple  of  workouts  1 
searched  them  and  found  I  had  a  good  trotter  and 
slow  class  pacer  to  stake  over  the  twice  arounds 
another  year.  I  found  a  pair  of  two-year-old  trot- 
ters that  worked  in  2  124!/^  over  a  half-mile  track, 
so  ought  to  have  a  good  stable  to  start  out  with 
in  1915. 

I  have  given  you  some  ideas  from  both  the  stock 
farm  superintendent's  and  driver's  side.  I  asked 
Slew- foot  Frank  if  he  could  suggest  a  few  words 
to  add  to  my  story  from  a  groom's  standpoint. 
This  was  his  reply:  ''Tell  them  Dame  Fortune 
is  on  my  side  this  fall.  After  making  a  very 
strenuous  campaign,  which  lasted  sixteen  weeks, 
I  finally  got  back  home  with  my  hopple  bird  and 
spent  three  whole  weeks  trying  to  reduce  an  en- 
larged knee  enough  to  put  a  mild  blister  on.  after 
which  his  shoes  were  pulled  off.  as  well  as  mv 
own.  but.  owing  to  the  number  of  good  races  mv 
pony  went,  I  was  presented  with  a  brand  new 
outfit  from  head  to  foot.    I  will  take  back  mv  win- 


170        CARE  AND  TRAINING   OF   TROTTERS  AND   PACERS. 

ter  job  as  night  man  in  a  livery  stable;  so  things 
look  pretty  rosy  for  me.  When  the  spring  opens 
up  I  will  be  back  with  my  meal  ticket  again." 

Yes,  October  has  been  a  busy  month.  After  I 
had  arranged  to  have  the  brood  mares  taken  care 
of  for  the  winter  and  had  set  the  farm  hands  to 
work  top-dressing  the  pastures  with  a  light  cover- 
ing of  manure,  I  found  Nov.  i  staring  me  in  the 
face. 


How  to  Stop  Pulling. 

J  have  a  pacer  and  when  I  eet  him  on  the  track  he  pulls  and 
I  can  get  no  bit  with  which  to  manage  him.  He  is  vei'y  tender 
mouthed  and  cannot  put  a  severe  bit  on  him.  A  trainer  had  him  a 
short  time  before  I  did,  hut  is  a  good  fast  horse  and  I  would  like 
to  train  him  so  as  to  be  able  to  race  him.  If  you  could  give  me  any 
suggestions  I  would  certainly  appreciate  them. — (H.  C,   Kan.) 

This  animal  was  probably  spoiled  by  some 
strong-armed  driver.  You  can  make  a  puller  out 
of  the  best  of  them  by  simply  hanging  onto  the 
reins.  Generally  speaking,  the  more  ambitious  the 
animal  is  the  easier  it  is  to  make  a  confirmed  puller 
out  of  it.  Especially  is  this  the  case  when  severe 
bits  are  resorted  to. 

As  it  is  late  in  the  fall,  and  you  will  not  have  to 
work  your  horse  on  a  track  for  several  months  to 
come,  I  would  take  him  out  on  the  road  and  see 
how  slow  you  can  get  him  to  go,  even  if  you  have 
to  let  him  walk  for  several  miles  at  a  time,  then  let 
him  ease  into  a  jog,  but  as  soon  as  he  acts  as 
though  he  wants  to  take  hold,  pull  him  up  gently 
and  make  him  walk  again.     I  saw  a  rank  pullei 


MISCELLANY.  171 

cured  this  summer.  The  mare  got  so  she  would 
make  an  attempt  to  run  away  about  every  time  she 
was  driven.  She  changed  hands  and  the  new 
owner  simply  took  all  the  rigging  oil  her  head, 
and  never  took  hold  of  the  reins  at  all.  Of  course 
she  started  ofi  on  a  fast  trot,  but  after  going  for  a 
mile  or  so  she  simply  slackened  up  herself.  As 
soon  as  she  saw  that  there  was  nothing  to  pull  on 
she  naturally  quit  trying  to  do  so. 

After  you  get  your  animal  so  that  you  can  drive 
him  with  a  loose  rein  on  the  road,  it  would  be  good 
policy  to  occasionally  take  him  to  the  track.  Let 
him  walk  around  several  times,  or  as  long  as  he  is 
inclined  to  behave,  but  never  give  him  a  chance  to 
even  try  and  take  a  hold  of  the  iron. 

I  would  use  nothing  on  him  but  the  plainest  sort 
of  rigging,  and  either  a  leather  or  rubber  bit ;  but 
remember  that  your  judgment  and  hands  can  do 
more  in  this  case  than  all  the  rigging  that  ever 
was  made. 

A  mixture  of  tannic  acid,  coric  acid  and  alum 
(one  ounce  of  each)  can  be  used  to  toughen  his 
mouth,  putting  a  pinch  of  the  mixture  on  his 
tongue,  three  times  a  day.  (Answer  by  Dr.  Jack 
Seiter.) 

^  >fc  ^ 

Public   Trainers. 

How  can  trainers  afford  to  winter  horses  at  $30 
a  month?  asks  a  trainer  whose  prices  are  consid- 
ered hieh. 


172        CARE   AND   TRAIXIXG   OF  TROTTERS  AND   PACERS. 

Here  is  how  it  can  be  clone  with  a  ten  horse 
stable.  Monthly  receipts,  $300.  Monthly  expenses  : 
Two  caretakers'  wages,  $50;  board  for  two  men, 
$30;  stall  rent,  $10;  feed,  $150;  balance  for  train- 
er's services  and  board,  $60.  Of  course,  the  bal- 
ance left  for  the  trainer  is  not  much,  but  some- 
how he  will  manage  to  "get  by."  Naturally,  the 
horses  do  not  get  much  jogging  or  much  care,  but 
if  the  owner  is  satisfied  the  trainer  "should  wor- 
ry." Shoeing  and  incidental  expenses  are  not  in- 
cluded because  they  are  charged  to  the  owner. 

A  trainer  said  recently:  "If  a  man  has  a  colt  he 
just  wants  jog"ged  a  little  through  the  winter  and 
only  expects  to  race  in  a  few  purse  races  in  the 
summer,  he  may  send  his  colt  to  a  low-priced  train- 
er who  lets  one  man  take  care  of  five  or  more 
horses,  but  if  he  wants  the  colt  trained  carefully 
with  the  futurities  in  view,  he  should  send  it  to  a 
high-priced  man.  The  two  great  mistakes  made 
by  owners  are  sending  cheap  horses  to  good  train- 
ers and  good  horses  to  cheap  trainers.  The  latter 
is  the  greater  mistake.  If  the  bill  comes  in  with 
extras  the  owner  hollers  because  he  has  been 
cheated.  He  ought  to  be  cheated.  He  invites 
cheating." 

One  successful  trainer  charges  $45  per  month 
during  the  winter  and  until  April  i  and  this  is  not 
an  unreasonable  charge.  He  has  one  man  on  four 
horses.    He  pays  a  little  more  for  help  and  their 


MISCELLANY.  173 

board  than  in  the  first  schedule.  Each  horse  gets  a 
long  jog  in  good  weather,  with  an  occasional 
brush.  Here  is  his  monthly  account  on  each  four 
horses.  Receipts,  $i8o.  Expenses:  Caretaker's 
wages,  $30 ;  board  for  caretaker,  $20 ;  feed,  $60 ; 
stall  rent,  $4 ;  balance  for  trainer,  $56,  or  $14  per 
horse. 

During  April  this  trainer  puts  one  man  on  three 
horses  and  charges  $50  per  month  on  each  horse. 
Here  is  his  monthly  account  on  each  three  horses : 
Receipts,  $150.  Expenses:  Caretaker's  wages, 
$30  ;  board,  $20 ;  feed,  $45  ;  stall  rent,  $3  :  balance 
for  trainer  $52.  or  $17  per  horse. 

After  May  i  this  trainer  puts  one  man  on  two 
horses  and  charges  $60  per  month  on  each  horse. 
Here  is  his  monthly  account  on  each  two  horses : 
Receipts,  $120.  Expenses  :  Caretaker's  wages,  $30  : 
board,  $20;  feed,  S15:  stall  rent.  S2  :  balance  for 
trainer,  $53,  or  %2y  on  each  horse.  As  soon  as  the 
races  begin  there  are  many  incidentals,  including 
extra  help  on  race  day  that  reduce  the  trainer's 
profit. 

Although  no  figures  are  available,  it  is  safe  to 
say  that  trainer's  charges  have  not  increased  in 
anything  like  the  same  proportion  as  wages  and 
feed.  Remember  that  a  trainer  is  worthy  of  his 
hire  and  don't  kick  at  his  bill  unless  you  have 
good  cause. 


174        CARE  AND  TRAINING   OF   TROTTERS  AND   PACERS. 

Masturbation. 

I  have  a  stallion,  bred  in  the  purple,  that  several  weeks  ago  looked 
like  2:10.  Since  the  extreme  hoi  weather  he  has  lost  his  lick  or  trot 
by  reason  of  abuse  as  we  think.  He  will  stand  at  his  door  with  men 
all  around  him  and  masturbate.  We  have  shield  and  ring  on  but 
with  no  success.  Would  feeding  saltpeter  prevent  same,  and  if  so 
in  what  quantities.  It  is  used  extensivel.v  at  college  and  in  the 
armies.     Why  not   for   horses? — (.7.    O.    F..    Del.) 

Stop  all  grain  feed  and  let  the  stallion  live  on 
good  hay,  wheat,  bran  and  roots.  Put  him  to  hard 
work  in  harness  so  that  he  will  become  reduced 
in  condition.  Bathe  with  cold  water,  three  times 
a  day,  along  course  of  penis.  Ice  may  be  put  in 
the  water  at  first.  If  the  vice  continues,  give  him 
a  dram  of  iodide  of  potash  twice  a  day  until  he 
starts  to  discharge  from  the  eyes  or  show  other 
symptoms  o-f  iodism,  at  which  time  the  drug" 
should  be  discontinued.  It  will  be  likely  to  cause 
temporary  impotence.  If  possible,  the  stallion 
should  be  bred  to  a  mare  daily.  The  iodide  of  pot- 
ash is  commonly  used  in  such  cases,  but  we  do  not 
know  how  effective  saltpeter  (nitrate  of  potash) 
would  prove.  No  harm  in  trying  it  in  dram  doses 
two  or  three  times  a  day.  It  acts  strongly  on  the 
kidneys,  but  does  not  readily  poison  a  horse. — 
(Answer  bv  Dr.  A.  S.  Alexander.) 


INDEX. 


INDEX 


Adbell.    1.    2:23 49 

Adbella     Watts 67 

Airdale.   3.  2 :09 44,  68 

Alexander.   Dr.  A.  S 7,  151 

Allen    Farm    Statistics 161 

Alley,    Frank   E 24 

Alma     Forbes 68 

Alta  Axworthy,   3,   2:10yo 11 

Anna   Ax  Me 63 

Arion,    2,   2:10% 70 

Athadou.    1,    2:27 49 

Axtell.    3,    2:12 72.  92 

Bailey.    Senator  J.   W 88 

Bandaging    42,  154 

Barber,   Dr.  W.  A... 8.  23,  52,  57 

Baroness  Virginia,  3,  2:0814.  .  80 

Bell     Bird.  2:2614 50 

Benear    48 

Benyon.    James 58 

Between    Heats 155 

Bitting    29 

Blanketing     43 

Bodv   Wash 157 

Bon   Courage 123 

Booting    27,   42,  155 

Bowerman.    George 50 

Bowerman,     Mike 88 

Bradhurn,   John 11 

Branham    Baughman 165 

Breaking   (i.   e.   running) 38 

Broodmares.    Feeding 13  i 

Brush   System 36,  39 

Burgoyne,    Harry 10  I 

Catching  From  a  Break 38  i 

Chandler,   J.   B 55,  57 

Chandler.    Stewart 47  | 

Charlier    Shoe 107,  111  i 

Childs,    Harold   M 63,  88 

Chronic    Indigestion 151' 

Cleveland.    Watt Ill  i 

Colorado   E..   3.   2:04% 86 

Cox,    Walter    R 122,  164 

Curry.    Wickliffe 47 

Daingerfleld.    Major 11 

Dan   Patch   Shoe 142 

Defects    in    Gait 124 

Diarrhea     11 

Digestive    Process 148 

Doble,    Budd 61 

Dodge.    John    L 22 

Don   Chenault,   3,   2:05% 76 

Dwyer,    Matt 49 

Dykstra,  Dr.   R.   R 8 

Edna    the  Great.    1.    2:29M...      52 


p::sperauza    123 

Estabrook,   Geo.   H 86 

Etawah.   3,   2:071/2 76 

Evans,    W.    W 86 

Fantasy,    3,    2:08% 90 

Feeding.  13,  21,   143,  148,   149,  162 

Feeding  Paddock 15 

Feeds,  Analvsis  of 144 

Feeds,  Weight  of 148 

Feet,     Dressing 95 

Fleeta  Americus,  3,  p.,  2:09 14  79 

Fleming.   Sam  J 80 

Footo,    W.    0 75,  79 

Freedom,   1,  2:29% 49,  50 

Frou    Frou,    2:25i4 49 

Gait    124 

Gamble.    Samuel 70 

(leers.   Ed.   F..59,  78,  90,  122,  165 

General  French,  2,  2:10% 35 

General   Watts,   3,   2:06% 88 

Goldsmith.    John    A 49 

Governor    Francis 80 

Grooming  Horse  on  Race  Day  153 

Ground  Breaking 30 

Halter-Breaking    23 

Harry  L 112 

Harry  R.,   1,   p.,  2:24^2 49 

Hazelton,   James 7 

Heather,     Joe 20,  31 

Heel    Boots 35 

Heels,  Sore 155 

Hemet,  3,  p.,  2:0814 49 

Hester    C 46 

Hinda   Rose,    1,   2:36i/2 50,  51 

Hitching   to   Cart 32 

Holloway,   Frank  H 47 

Hoofs.    Packing 28 

Howard.   Dr.   S.   R 9 

How  to  Feed  and  Water 148 

Jogging     154 

Jones,    Henry  M 78 

Jordan,    Jr.,    Rudolph 124 

Justice  Brooke,   3,   2:08% 70 

Keets,    O.   M 49 

Kentucky  Todd,  3,  2:08% 88 

Kindred,   T.   H 162 

Eady   Wanetka 67 

Leading   Beside   Pony 25 

Lee    Axworthy 82,  83 

Leg    Wash 160 

Lillian    Wilkes 91 

Lucile  Spier,  3.  2:07% 68 


176        CAKE  AND  TRAINING   OF  TROTTERS  AND   PACERS. 


Maben,    Walter 40 

Macey,   Guss 86 

Macey,     Reamey 87 

Maggie  Winder,   3.    p.,   2:06i4  79 

Making    Speed 36 

Manrico,   3.  2:01  V^ Ill 

Mare,   Feeding  the 146 

Marvin,   Chas 

..32,   35,   36,   38,   39,  41,   50,  70 

Masturbation    174 

McCarr,   Ned 23,   27,  30 

McCoy,   Dr.   J.   C 33 

McDonald     24 

McGraw,   Joseph 20 

Miller,  Roy.  11,  21,  26,  34,  60,  71 

Miss     Perfection 123 

Miss    Stokes 47 

Moody,   Hunter   C 45,  54 

Murphy,   T.   W 

67,  69,  81.   84,  122 

Native  Belle,  2:06i/. 69 

Native  Spirit,  2.  2:09% 165 

Navel    Disease 12 

Norlaine.    1,    2:3iy2 50 

October,    What  We  Did   In...    168 

Packing    Feet 28 

Palo  Alto  Training   Paddock.  51 

Pansy  McGregor,  1,  2:23%...  49 

Peter   Volo 45,   67,    81,    82,  123 

Physiology  of  Horse 143 

Phippen,   John   S 49 

Pony,    Leading    Beside 25 

Pride   52 

Princess    Nelda 35 

Public    Trainers 171 

Pulling    37.  170 

Saliva,   Amount  of 143 

Sanders,    Millard 49 

Schedule   for   Feeding 149 

Scott,  A.  B 71 

Scraping     156  I 

Seiter,    Dr.   Jack 95,  138 

Serrill.    .Joseph    L 30.  61 

Shipping     63 

Shoeing 34,    95,    110,    114,  1.38 

Sholes,   O.   H 26.  61 

Smollinger,    W.    H 65 


Sparkle    Watts.    2.    2:10% 165 

Siilan.    John 16 

Stanford.    Gov.    Leland 36 

Stoniach,    Size   of 144 

Suckling    Colt 7 

Sudie    i) 50 

Sunol.   3.   2:101/. 90 

Sweet    Alice 59 

The    Climax,    3 80 

Thomas,    A.    L 11 

Thomas.    Arthur  C 114 

Three- vc;ir-t)hls     74 

Toe,    XVearii'.i;   Shoes   at 110 

Toe     Weights 34 

Trainer's   Charges 171 

Training     Paddock 51 

Trimming    Feet    14 

Two-year-olds,    How   to   Train  55 

U.    Forbes,    1,    2:21i4 53,  114 

Valensin,    Count 52 

Valentine,   Chas.   A 43.  60 

Virginia   Barnette 94 

Warming     Up 154,  164 

Watering    41.    148.  149 

Watts.    Gen.   C.   C 88 

Waverly.    p. .    2 :04 1,4 79 

Weanling    Colt 19 

Weight    of    Foal 145 

White.    Ben 22 

Whitely.     Amos 17.  57 

Wilbur  Lou.    1.    2:191/. 47 

Wilhelm,    Ray Ill 

Williams,   C.   W 72.  92 

Williams.    Henrv 46 

AVillis.    Ed ■ 10.    46,  47 

Yearlings    36.  167 

Illustrations. 

Airdale.   as  a    Yearling 54 

Feeding    I'addock 15 

Colorado   E..   as  a  3-y-o 109 

Native  Belle,    as  a   2-y-o 18 

Peter  Volo  as  a  3-y-o 94 

Tvpes  of   Shoes 138 


Webster  Fs"  dicina 

Cummin^  ,18  at 


1536 


